PB's Budget analysis ten per cent

The Ministry of Finance this week invited the public to a post-budget forum by Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera. Nelum Pokuna was packed to the brim. Mr. Jayasundera spoke for one hour and 30 minutes, dedicating much time and praise to Mahinda Rajapaksa. He mentioned the President multiple times, prompting many of those present to comment afterwards that his speech sounded like an endorsement of his campaign for re-election. There was, in the end, little analysis of the 2015 budget.

Mr. Jayasundera said he had spent a lifetime in the public service contributing towards drafting budgets. Today, he is in the highest position of helping the Finance Minister with this task. "I learned this job from around the time I was a child," he said. "Those days, there were no debates like this. We didn't go around the country. I think there are still some Treasury officials who haven't gone beyond Fort."

"There was no debate with divisional secretaries, Govi Jana Seva officials, provincial councils and ministries," he said. "Even ministries came to us. We sent around a circular saying this is how we are making the estimates. The accountant decides to increase the allowance by 10 per cent. Ten percent was the flavour of the day. Everything was 10 per cent. Inflation was 10 per cent, exchange rate fluctuation was 10 per cent, it was all 10 per cent. Even if you took a bribe it was 10 per cent!"

And here we had thought that "Mr. Ten Percent" was only a figment of Jamis Banda's imagination.