SRI LANKA OPINION POLL: Most Sri Lankans say 2008 Budget 'bankrupt'

A majority of Sri Lankans say that the 2008 Budget is 'bankrupt' and will increase the cost of living further. They also are very dissatisfied with the President's management of the cost of living. A majority of the Sinhalese also say that they do not want any snap polls while Tamils and Muslims support a snap poll.

The Tamils and Muslims are also divided with the Sinhalese on the impact of LTTE political leader Tamilselvan's assassination on the ongoing war against the LTTE. Most Sinhala respondents say 'it is beneficial for the ongoing war against the LTTE' while most Tamils and Muslims view it as 'detrimental.' As for the rating of President Mahinda Rajapakse, most Sinhalese and Muslims are only 'somewhat satisfied' on his conduct of peace talks, though the majority of Sinhalese are 'very satisfied' with the President's handling of the war. A majority of Sinhalese are also satisfied of President's handling of law and order.

These findings are from the latest nationwide opinion poll conducted in Sri Lanka by the Colombo based Social Indicator of Centre for Policy Alternatives (SI-CPA), a non-partisan opinion survey agency operating under the board of Directors of the independent think tank, the CPA. Conducted in November 2007 and released early this week, the Peace Confidence Index (PCI) Survey covered 22 Districts excluding the North. A total of 1600 Sri Lankans answered in this face-to-face questionnaire survey.

Has the Cost of Living Increased?

Almost all the persons surveyed (Sinhala- 98%, Tamil- 98.8%, Muslim-98.8%) stated that, compared to the situation a year ago, the cost of living in the country has increased. Answers regarding the primary reason for the increased cost of living drew out the same response from 53.5% of the Sinhala community, 49.3% of the Up Country Tamil community and 37.1% of the Muslim community where all three cited the escalation of the conflict between the Government and the LTTE. A majority of the Sinhala community (60.5%) agree to bear the rising cost of living for the sake of the government’s war against the LTTE. At the same time, majorities in the other three communities (Tamil-90.7%, Up Country Tamil- 90.4%, Muslim- 71.1%) disagree.

The 2008 Budget

Majorities among the Sinhala (41%), Tamil (47.2%) and Muslim (41%) state that the 2008 budget can best be described as a bankrupt budget. Majorities in the Sinhala (59%), Tamil (96.2%) and Muslim (85.7%) believe that the 2008 budget will increase the cost of living. While the majority of the Tamil (75.6%) sample surveyed stated that the budget was very important to them, 38.2% of the Sinhalese and 26.1% of the Up Country Tamils say that the budget is only somewhat important to them personally" the opinion report said and added "When asked to select who could influence what goes into the budget, majorities in the Tamil (45.9%) and Up Country Tamil (60.9%) state that it is the President.

Snap Polls

While a majority of the Sinhala community (44.5%) state that they do not want any snap poll, 35.4% of the Tamils and 46.3% of the Up Country Tamils surveyed feel that snap polls are desirable. Within the Muslim community, a majority of 50.8% state that snap polls are essential.

Rating the President

In the PCI’s attempted rating of President Rajapakse, majorities amongst the Sinhala (35.9%), Tamil (67.5%) and Up Country Tamil (84.3%) said that they were very dissatisfied with the President's management of the cost of living. With regards to the President's conduct relating to peace negotiations, 37.5% of the Sinhalese and 37.1% of the Muslims stated that they were somewhat satisfied. However, 65.4% of the Tamil community and 70.4% of the Up Country Tamil community said that they were very dissatisfied. A majority of the Sinhala community (57.1%) stated that they are very satisfied with the President's handling of the war. Within the Muslim community, 42.3% said that they are somewhat satisfied with the way the President was conducting the war. Majorities in the Tamil (43.8%) and Up Country Tamil (71.3%) stated that they are very dissatisfied. A majority of 84.4% of the Sinhalese expressed satisfaction the President's handling of law and order.

Present Situation in the Country

A majority of persons in the Sinhala (62.8%) and Muslim (40.3%) Communities feel that the present situation is best described as a war against terrorism. There are, however, 32.8% of the Muslims who feel that this is an ethnic conflict. This opinion is also shared by 48.2% of the Tamils and 44% of the Up Country Tamils.

THE FULL ARTICLE IN 'COLOMBO POST'

PCI - Nov 2007 REPORT IN FULL [pdf]

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