Infographic: Rajapaksa’s Lies And The Real Cost Of Living In Sri Lanka

December 30, 2014

Mahinda Rajapaksa consistently tells you that the cost-of-living (inflation) is increasing by 4.5% a year. This is a lie. The cost of 46 essential food items alone has increased by an average of 12 percent.

Mahinda Rajapaksa’s deceit is possible because he changes the basket of consumer items that is used to assess the cost of living. He also changes the year of comparison (base year) when calculating cost-of-living increases. This is why the IMF and World Bank have criticized Central Bank statistics[1]. Moreover, we must remember that the Census and Statistics Department’s Account Division Director H.S. Wanasinghe went on the record saying that GDP figures were massaged[2].

Development, other than one or two colossally overpriced (and thus corrupt) mega-infrastructure products, is confined to enriching the Rajapaksa family and its cronies. Development is a mirage and anyone who has done grocery shopping will tell you so. It is the common man and the common woman who have to feed their children that must suffer as the price of essential foodstuffs increases on a monthly basis.

[1] http://www.sundaytimes.lk/130602/columns/the-importance-of-accurate-economic-statistics-46998.html

[2] http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/40662-official-alleges-growth-rate-massaged.html

Click on the picture to enlarge;