President Ranil Wickremesinghe invited the representatives of all Parties to unite to form a strong force to establish an all-party government to solve the people’s problems and rebuild the country.
Addressing the MPs, former Provincial Councillors and the electoral organizers of the United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) at Kandy Presidential House in Kandy, the President urged not to limit the programme to two Parties, unite all parties, educate public and join hands to take the programme to the village.
The President asked to think afresh for a new approach highlighting the importance of a new economic policy to replace the outdated policy.
Highlighting the futility of the old slogans, the President said, “I arrived in Kandy today to worship the sacred tooth relic and to seek the blessing of the Mahanayaka Theras. I thank the Theras for their advice. After this event, I have scheduled to meet the local government members of UNP and SLPP. Traditionally we argue from opposing sides and even conflict with each other. Now, we sit together and discuss. It is a new culture. Why do we see this change? We experienced massive economic pressure and political change that made me the President and Dinesh Gunawardana
the Prime Minister. These changes were triggered by the economic crisis that created shortages of fuel and fertilizer.
Unexpected involvements of the political forces in the protests yielded advantages to them. We faced fascist terrorism for the first time in Sri Lankan history.They had learnt about burning books from Hitler. LTTE used firing and bombing. Some civil organizations rallied with the fascists and created chaos. I was sworn in as President after that.
“The economic pressure has not declined although I came to power. Problems like shortages of fuel, gas, fertilizer, an increase in prices and unemployment are the same. We have no capital investments for development. We have to decide whether to increase or decrease people’s problems. That’s why you have rallied here. “Economically, Sri Lanka’s GDP has collapsed massively to minus 7% . With our actions this year, it will decrease by 3%. After that, we can have a 1% GDP next year.
“We are before fast-growing inflation. I don’t say these to frighten people. We must find solutions and enter into a new political path. Old slogans will not work.
“Now, some say the reason for the crisis is President Gotabaya banning the import of fertilizer. Our Party says it is due to a delay to go to IMF. SLPP sees that it is due to all previous governments burrowing massively. I think we have all these issues. But will debates bring a single shipload of fertilizer? Can we earn at least 50 million dollars by arguing whether Good
Governance increased the debt burden? None of these debates may develop the country. They are history. “Shall we spend our time debating or seeking solutions? Some march urging me to go home.
Please don’t do so because I have no home to go. If you want you can bring a large crowd and build my house in six months. After that only you can ask me to go home. “Please don’t waste your time and build your village or my house. We are in an old tradition of politics pointing fingers at each other. Will it decrease inflation or increase GDP? Now, we must find the money for fuel and fertilizer for the Maha season. That is politics we must engage in.
“After I was appointed as the Prime Minister and Finance Minister, we discussed with IMF. We found several solutions through negotiations. We aimed for an agreement in July and approval from the IMF in the first week of August. However, there were no discussions after July 9 and now the process will delay.We expect the approval in September. No one will lend us without this agreement. We need to decide whether to continue these politics or to think afresh.
“The youth started the struggle demanding reforms and I have no debate with it. Others took it into their hands and directed it towards violence. How can we develop our villages? Don’t think that an agreement with IMF is the end. Our debt burden has increased. How can we pay them back? We need more and more foreign currency. We need to follow new paths. We must modernize our agriculture. Shall we do it or continue chanting slogans? The politicians of UNP and SLPP must think of it.
‘If we don’t accept this challenge we shall lose our country. The next generation will curse at us. The challenge before us is to decide whether to fall back or rise. Shall we take this challenge and make a new country with a strong middle class? Shall we make an export-oriented economy with modern agriculture and industry? When former President J.R. Jayewardene initiated the present economy I was part of it. That economy is outdated and collapsed now. We cannot go back to it or the British period or the Kandyan era. We must think afresh and move forward.
“We must modernize our villages. We still don’t have a digital economy. Shall we do it together or divided it? Our first duty is to safeguard law and order. I don’t approve of burning the houses of a member of any party. We must not break our friendship due to political differences. & quot;We must think afresh and move forward. We must take that message to the village. Both UNP and SLPP are silent and the village is empty. Why are we keeping mum? The government is in our hands. Let’s jointly deliver this message. That’s why I invited all parties to form an all-party government. That’s the best way to solve the problems of the country. All accept it without argument. There is no debate in the village like among some in Colombo. We must go to the village school and temple to deliver this message. Why don’t we join hands to do it? “I know the suffering you encountered since May 9. Some lost houses. Some had to leave the villages. There were death threats. Now, they are over. Let’s try to join and work for the country. We have UNP and SLPP in this hall and I love to see the other half of the hall filled with the representatives of JVP, SJB and other parties. We can’t limit it to us and we must bring them here. We can decide later if we want to contest elections separately.
“Let’s see to the problems of the suffering people in villages who have no food or employment. Local government members have the responsibility for that. We shall inform the programme for that within the next two weeks. I ask you all to go to the Pradeshiya Sabha and speak.
Deliver this message. Let’s make a campaign for an all-party government. Silence is enough now. Start to speak. Let’s tell the problems of the country to our people.
Tell them that we are working to solve the problems and to end the queues for fuel and fertilizer etc. Ask them to tell us the problems in the villages. I especially make this request from the representatives of the Kandy district. Don’t limit to two parties. Open it to all parties and increase the force to make a stronger voice for the ordinary people of the country. I urge you to deliver this message and work as a team to solve the problems of the children and the youth of the country and to make a better future for them.”
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