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President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed that while he had taken on the responsibility of leading a country that no one wanted and was committed to protecting the people’s right to exist, seeking court intervention in the election was not out of a desire to liberate the people from oppression, but to consolidate his own power.
The President also pointed out that if he allocated funds for elections at that time, stabilizing the country’s economy would be jeopardized. He stressed that if the protection of the right to life is considered a violation of fundamental rights, he is ready to meet this challenge.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe made the remarks at the ‘Puluwan Sri Lanka’ victory rally held at Dambulla Bus Station this afternoon (24th).
A large number of people from Dambulla attended the rally and gave a warm welcome to the President.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe further explained that he assumed the responsibility of leading the country for the benefit of the people in July 2022. The President stressed his success in addressing the critical issues of the time and establishing economic stability.
The President stressed that the country’s demise is inevitable if it is handed over to those who have no vision and plan, and he called on the people to use their votes in this presidential election to protect the hard-earned progress of the past two years.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe further stressed that;
I am running as an independent candidate and do not belong to any party. I am taking this role for the good of the people. My efforts have been devoted to ending the past crises and restoring stability to the country. My goal was to stop the violence of the time.
If we fail to stop the violence, we could face a similar situation to what Bangladesh is experiencing today, with the loss of parliamentary control, when lawlessness prevails and one group attacks opponents while another fights to maintain control of the country.
But I am not the president of just one group – I am standing up for the entire country. The young people who support Alagalaya demanded change, and I listened to them. Today, I have begun that change in our country. I ask for your support to continue this process.
The Leader of the Opposition is the country’s alternative Prime Minister, a role that comes with a responsibility to protect the people. However, he failed to do that – he ran away. We faced extremely difficult times and we had to make difficult decisions. We had to stop printing money, reduce government spending, and grudgingly increase VAT to generate revenue. Some of these decisions were heavy burdens for you to bear. These are not choices we have made lightly. I want to thank all those who have shared this burden with us. However, if we had not taken these steps, we would not have the country we have today.
The Leader of the Opposition is the country’s alternative Prime Minister, a role that comes with a responsibility to protect the people. However, he failed to do that – he ran away. We faced extremely difficult times and we had to make difficult decisions. We had to stop printing money, reduce government spending, and grudgingly increase VAT to generate revenue. Some of these decisions were heavy burdens for you to bear. These are not choices we have made lightly. I want to thank all those who have shared this burden with us. However, if we had not taken these steps, we would not have the country we have today.
Today, our economy has improved and at the same time, we have taken steps to provide relief to the people. We spent Rs 6,000 crore on the Samurdhi scheme and today, we have allocated Rs 18,300 crore for the Aswesuma scheme. Earlier, the number of beneficiaries was 1.6 million and now we have extended these benefits to 2.4 million.
In addition, allowances for kidney patients, senior citizens and persons with disabilities have also been increased. The allowance for government employees was Rs 10,000 and we have decided to provide a cost-of-living allowance of Rs 25,000 with a base year of 2025. We have also set the starting salary at Rs 55,000, including a cost-of-living allowance, and have given a temporary allowance of Rs 3,000 to retirees. These are just a few of the major actions we have taken. Despite the fact that the country has declared bankruptcy, we have accomplished things that a non-bankrupt government could not have done.
Today, tourists are returning to our country, and we are establishing investment zones across the country. We have also launched an agricultural modernization program with the goal of achieving 8 tons of rice per hectare. At the same time, over the past two years, we have been working to reduce the cost of living for our people.
We must not hand our country over to those who lack vision, as this will lead to its destruction. Instead, let us safeguard our progress. In a few years, we will be able to move forward by fully addressing these issues.
No one in the opposition supports the initiatives we are implementing for the people. Ranjith Maduma Bandara and Harini Amarasuriya approached the courts to hold local government elections in 2023. Yet, because the people need to survive, I have to allocate funds to guarantee their right to survive. Meanwhile, their actions seek to destabilize the country. Holding elections in the next three to four months will prevent us from offering these vital concessions to the people.
They obtained a court judgment that I had violated fundamental rights. But if the judgment is to protect the fundamental rights of the people, I am willing to accept it.
Posts Handing power to a leader without vision could lead to economic collapse First appeared in Daily News.
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