With elections to North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils scheduled for August, the government’s pledge to cut down on consumption of fuel as part of proposed austerity measures will be no more than a sick joke, UNP spokesman Dayasiri Jayasekera said yesterday.

In fact, there could even be a significant increase in government expenditure if the whole lot of wasteful expenditure and extravagance that accompany elections are taken into account, he warned.

In an interview with The Sunday Island, the Kurunegala District MP said the Rajapaksa administration would brazenly squander taxpayers’ money on the forthcoming election campaign. The abuse of state property at the recently concluded first election to the Eastern Provincial Council and last May at Dehiattakandiya was evidence of what is likely to happen in the run up to the PC polls, he said.

Referring to the infamous Wayamba Provincial Council poll during the then President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s first term, Jayasekera said as all ministers and deputies would descend on the two provinces, there will be a splurge of public funds. Their fuel guzzling vehicle would be a heavy burden on the taxpayer, he said.

``It is absurd calling elections at this time when the people were going through untold hardship,’’ he declared.

He said as hundreds of vehicles belonging to various ministries and corporations would be deployed for the campaign and fuel consumption would be enormous. The electioneering costs will have to be borne by the taxpayer who will also have to pay for the seeni bola that would be doled out to the electors. The Elections Department would need approximately Rs 50 million for the polls.

The recent statement issued by prime minister’s office on a special scheme launched on the instructions of Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to cut down on fuel consumption would be meaningless, he said.

Mahinda Bandusena, Secretary to the Prime Minister, last week expressed confidence that the action being taken by the PM’s office would be an example to other ministries.

Jayasekera acknowledged successive governments had abused state property particularly during election time.

A handful of government officials have warned the government of financial chaos due to sharp increase in world oil prices was having on the local economy. Some of them have advised against further subsidies in an effort to tackle rising inflation as heavy defence expenditure was hugely hurting the economy.

``The government is making an already bad situation worse by calling elections at this time,’’ Jayasekera said.

The outspoken MP accused the government of turning a blind eye to the fast deteriorating economic situation. He charged the SLFP-led ruling coalition of doing absolutely nothing to cut down on expenditure, waste, corruption and improve management in an effort to strengthen financial stability.

`‘They are on a spending spree. The president, ministers and political stooges are more out than in the country," he charged saying elections are the last thing on the minds of people struggling to make ends meet.

The government would also have to look after the welfare of Wimal Weerawansa’s faction which would have no option but to support the ruling group at the forthcoming PC elections, Jayasekera said.

"Recently Weerawansa had declined to accept a double cab assigned to his security contingent by the Ministerial Security Division as he wasn’t satisfied with its condition. He apparently wanted a new vehicle," Jayasekera said adding this wasn’t an isolated case.