President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the All-Party Conference (APC) is an honest attempt to discuss ways and means to resolve the prevailing economic crisis, and that there was no political agenda behind it. He said, “I invite even those who did not attend this Conference to support the genuine efforts by the Government to rebuild the country. By and large, all of us are responsible for the present predicament so all of us should work together to find viable solutions.”
The APC to discuss and seek solutions to the current economic issues was presided over by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at the President’s House on Wednesday.
Inaugurating the APC, President Rajapaksa said that everyone should work together to find solutions to the current economic crisis faced by the country and stressed the need to bring the economy to a stable position by embarking on short and long term strategies. He told the gathering that the Presidential Secretariat would develop a mechanism to implement the proposals made by the political party leaders and representatives at the APC.
Relief package
Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa told the APC that the Government is looking at the possibility of providing a relief package to the people prior to the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year. He said that he was prepared to present a fresh Budget for the year as suggested during the APC with the approval of the Cabinet.
Noting that the Government is well-aware of the people’s suffering in the face of the prevailing economic crises, Finance Minister Rajapaksa said that the Government would do all within its capacity to provide the maximum relief to the people. Commenting on the proposals during the APC that the needy people must be provided with immediate relief, the Finance Minister said that the President has already initiated discussions on a package of relief items with Trade Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena.
Not the time for blame game
Addressing the APC at the President’s House, former Prime Minister and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said that this is no time for a political blame game and the parties in Parliament must work together to stabilise the economy. Wickremesinghe said “The parties in Parliament must reach a national consensus on the short-term, medium-term, and long-term policies for the country. He said, “This must be an open dialogue, where the Government should take the lead while the Opposition must be ready to respond.
To date we have not seen any transparency or commitment from the Government. It has failed to provide us with the data or table the full IMF report in Parliament. In the short-term we must work together to stabilise the economy, otherwise the people will lose confidence in the country.”
Referring to Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal over a statement he made at the outset of the Conference that the former Government was largely responsible for the debt crisis, the former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that the APC platform should not be misused to play party politics.
He said, “Our policies had been different and the people did not experience problems as they face today. We did not come here to argue and put the blame on one another. If we continue the blame game, it could go as far as the arrival of King Vijaya to Sri Lanka.”
“It will take at least five years for Sri Lanka to emerge from this crisis. The two issues we face are stabilising the economy in the next two years and consolidating economic recovery. The reversal of economic policies has shaken the confidence of foreign and local investors. This has resulted in many of our youth leaving the country.
The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) boycotted the APC. Leader of National People’s Power (NPP), MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake also announced his party’s decision not to attend the APC. Addressing a media briefing held in Colombo prior to the APC, Dissanayake said his party plans to boycott the All-Party Conference, as it was mooted as a solution for the political rift between the SLFP and SLPP, not to find a way out of the economic crisis. The Government constituent parties led by former Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila and incumbent Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara also boycotted the meeting.
However, Parliamentarian Prof. Tissa Vitharana representing the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera representing the Ape Jamaal Party (AJP) participated. Despite the decision taken by several Opposition parties to boycott the conference, former Prime Minister and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and the TNA also participated in the APC.
Spineless act
The UNP on Thursday took a swipe at the SJB leadership for boycotting the APC with UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara calling it a spineless act. Addressing the media in Colombo, UNP General Secretary Bandara said, “Unlike the SJB leadership which resorted to shouting slogans near the Presidential Secretariat fence, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, as a leader with a backbone went to the APC and met the President face to face and spoke directly about the action to be taken on the issues of the country.”
He said that problems will not be solved by bringing people and protesting in the streets and causing inconvenience to the people. “Instead the SJB leadership could have gone to the APC and expressed his views”. He said Wickremesinghe spoke directly as a leader with a backbone on the course of action to be taken on the issues of the country.
Ruling party meets
A special meeting of the ruling party chaired by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was held at Temple Trees on Tuesday. All Members of Parliament from the ruling party had reportedly been informed to mandatorily attend the meeting, which focused on economic issues, including the dollar crisis in the country.
Prior to the special meeting on Tuesday evening, the ruling party’s parliamentary group meeting was also held in the morning under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Parliament complex.
Steps down
State Minister Nimal Lanza stepped down from his ministerial portfolio. In his letter of resignation directed to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday, the SLPP Parliamentarian said although he could hold on to his position for three more years, his conscience no longer allows him to do so, at a time when the members of the public are gravely affected by a crisis. Lanza was serving as the State Minister of Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure.
His resignation came days after National Organiser of National Freedom Front (NFF) Jayantha Samaraweera stepped down from his position as the State Minister of Warehouse Facilities, Container Yards, Port Supply Facilities and Boats and Shipping Industry Development. In a Cabinet reshuffle on March 3 and 4, Udaya Gammanpila and Wimal Weerawansa were stripped of their portfolios as the Minister of Energy and Minister of Industries respectively.
President meets TNA
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Friday “Let’s work together to build the country.”
President Rajapaksa said that as the leader of the entire nation, he will pay his attention to all the citizens equally. The President was speaking at a discussion held with the TNA at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday.
He said that the Government is working on a number of issues, including the release of suspects held in long-term detention, taking further actions regarding suspects who have not been charged or prosecuted, the launch of a truth-finding mechanism, the amendment of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the resolution of issues related to missing persons.
President Rajapaksa said the country can move towards development by working together to achieve the objectives of the people of the country, including those who live in the North and the East. TNA Leader R.Sampanthan said that he hopes to see the country moving towards prosperity with a political solution in a united Sri Lanka. He said, “We must unite as a country.” He stressed that it is the responsibility of everyone to work together to overcome the current challenges as one country and one nation
Vulture politics
Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said that the Opposition is promoting vulture politics by instigating the people for violence. He said that the SJB and the JVP want to see blood and violence in the country thinking that they could make use of them to their advantage.
At a ceremony in Balapitiya to lay the foundation stone for two bridges recently, Minister Fernando said, “The Opposition sends their grassroots level activists to create disturbances at gas points and fuel stations. We have identified their intentions and plans. We will not let their plots succeed.”
He said, “They are nothing but political vultures who dream of achieving their political goals over the dead bodies of the innocents. On the other hand, they are convinced that they cannot come to power through elections. So, they try to capitalise on prevailing shortages to create unrest, violence and bloodshed thinking that it is a shortcut to power.” Minister Fernando said that there are shortages of many essential commodities and price hikes and we are aware of these issues.
“We have recognised these market trends and are doing everything possible to provide relief to the people as fast as we can. But these shortages are not only in Sri Lanka but globally,” he said.
“We are not afraid of opposition tactics. We do not retaliate because we respect democracy. We are stronger than them. We are led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa who led this nation to victory against the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit. We are neither retreat nor surrender; we know that the people are still with us,” the Minister said.
Darkness
Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella said no one knows where or what the Finance Minister is doing while the whole country is in darkness. MP Kiriella also said that the Finance Minister had not attended Parliament in three months. The MP said that the Finance Minister had gone to India and obtained a huge loan package. “This loan had been obtained by pawning all the oil tanks in Trincomalee to India.”
Kiriella said that as Parliament holds the power of finances, the House needs to be notified of all these agreements and added that the entire country is in the dark regarding the agreements signed with India.
The MP said that the Government is obtaining loans today to feed the country. “The Finance Minister should attend Parliament to respond to the people. It was most unfortunate that the Finance Minister has failed to come to Parliament and answer the questions that the people have raised.”
MP Kiriella also said that all the agreements signed with India should be presented to Parliament.
New national program
Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa warned the 113 seat majority held by the Government in Parliament will be taken away soon, adding that measures will be taken to end the governance of the incumbent Government. MP Weerawansa said that the 11 constituent parties of the Government will instead introduce a new national program to direct the country towards resolving the crisis.
He was speaking at the presentation of the national program drafted by the 11 constituent parties of the Government to the Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera of the Malwatta Chapter on Thursday. Later the 11 constituent parties also handed over the national program to Most Ven. Warakagoda Gnanaratana Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter.
MP Weerawansa said that two MPs were sacked from their ministerial portfolios after presenting the new national program to the Government.
Satyagraha
A satyagraha organised by the United National Party (UNP) was held peacefully at Hyde Park in Colombo on Friday evening with the participation of a large crowd and the determination of all to unite to formulate a national policy that will not change even if the Governments with a consensus change.
All who attended the satyagraha, with no slogans or raised voices were dressed in white and held placards with the text that said ‘brighten the dark future’. The satyagraha was attended by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, party stalwarts, professionals, social activists, trade union members together with representatives from other parties as well. In addition, a massive crowd which had arrived from the four corners of the country also participated and three groups gathered at Hyde Park marching from the Vihara Maha Devi Park in Colombo, the Gamini Cinema Hall on Darley Road and the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo.
A group of members of the clergy and party leaders including the Maha Sangha sat on the floor and joined the satyagraha and the people who were there also contributed to the satyagraha sitting on the ground.
A group of children launched the Satyagraha by chanting poems from the ‘Loweda Sangaraawa’ and Tamil and Muslim music was also played. Subsequently, a vow was made by all wishing for wisdom and candles were lit in the hope that the light would descend, at the end of the satyagraha.
UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena said this sathyagraha was organised by his party to establish a common platform for preparing a national policy for rebuilding the country and that the UNP had invited everyone who sincerely wished to rebuild the country without any discrimination of race, religion or party to come to the Hyde Park, clad in white.