News
Opposition Leader accuses govt. of betraying mandate by sticking to Ranil’s IMF agreement
By Saman Indrajith
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, on Thursday (21), claimed that the NPP government’s decision to continue with the IMF programme without renegotiating it amounted to a betrayal of its mandate.
Addressing the media at the parliamentary complex. Premadasa said there was a glaring mismatch between the promises made by the government during the election campaign and what the President said in his policy speech on Thursday about the IMF programme. He said he had een shocked by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s statements on bilateral debt and International Sovereign Bonds.
He asserted that the public was led to believe the existing IMF agreement would be renegotiated after Dissanayake came into power, yet the government has deviated from this promise. Premadasa emphasised that this is a serious issue and pointed out that the mandate granted to the government was not to implement the same policies as the previous administration.
The Opposition Leader said the government didn’t get a two-thirds majority to ape the same disastrous IMF policies, followed by the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration.
Premadasa stressed the importance of tangible actions, not just rhetoric, in addressing poverty alleviation, eradicating malnutrition among pregnant mothers and children, and reviving the local economy. He urged the government to focus on supporting small, medium, and micro-scale entrepreneurs by enabling access to various export markets.
Expressing surprise at the government’s continued adherence to the existing IMF agreement, Premadasa criticised its approach to VAT, tax structures, and overall economic activities. He underscored that the government had not been given a mandate to continue the old system and called on it to deliver the promised changes. He also offered his cooperation in implementing the necessary reforms.
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) has announced a reduction in the prices of Petrol 92 and Petrol 95, effective from midnight today (30).
The price of Petrol 92 has been reduced by Rs. 15 per litre, from Rs. 414 to Rs. 399 while the price of Petrol 95 Octane has been reduced by Rs. 20 per litre, from Rs. 495 to Rs. 475
There will be no change in the prices of diesel, Super Diesel and kerosene under the latest revision.
The book “Rathuwewi Mihimadala”, written based on the life story of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Leader of the Democratic Left Front, was launched on Friday [August 28] at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Speaking to the media afterwards about Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics, particularly within the left-wing political movement. There were several influential figures within the left movement, and that left-wing influence also contributed to bringing the country to where it is today. Politically, there were areas where we agreed and areas where we did not. However, I have great respect for the contribution made by Vasudeva Nanayakkara to left-wing politics. When I entered Parliament in 2020, Vasudeva Nanayakkara was also in Parliament. We sat in the same row, and we spoke about many important as well as interesting moments in his political career. I believe some of these experiences have also been included in this book.”
The event was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Speakers Karu Jayasuriya and Chamal Rajapaksa, as well as party members, family members and friends.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon today (30)
The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.
The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (30) are Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and
Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon.
Petrol to cost less from midnight today (30)
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