News
‘Entrusting govt. with task of managing economy is like handing over a smartphone to a cobbler for repairs’
by Saman Indrajith
The SJB says the government is unable to steer the country in the right direction, even on the advice of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as it is incapable of managing the economy. Entrusting it with economic management is like handing over a smart phone to a cobbler for repairs.
Addressing the media at the Opposition leader’s office in Colombo on Sunday (27) SJB MP and former State Minister of Finance, Eran Wickremeratne, said that the time had come for another group of internationally recognised competent people to take control of the country’s economy as the international community has no confidence in the country’s rulers and that the country should be handed over to those who can handle the economic and financial management, professionally.
Wickremaratne said that people would not be able to recover from this crisis as long as those who mismanaged the economy and made wrong decisions were still in positions of power. “Especially the cronies of the government who had made it worse, and the government is still keeping them in the same places even though they have done great harm to the country and the people.”
MP Wickremeratne said that many government MPs had no understanding of the economy. “They are trying to justify the government’s incompetence by claiming that there was a decline in the GDP during the previous government. The economic development of a country cannot be measured by a single factor such as the GDP growth. The economic development of a country and its benefits can be accurately measured by the progress in a number of sectors such as foreign reserves, exchange control, assets and liabilities, fiscal deficit, government revenue etc., MP Wickremeratne said.
The report of the International Monetary Fund on Sri Lanka, which the government claimed it had not received, had now been published, Wickremeratne said. “The 95-page report reveals several matters that repeatedly pointed out by the SJB for more than a year in Parliament and elsewhere.”
The report clearly states that the root cause of the current crisis in Sri Lanka is the decrease i government revenue due to tax cuts. “The IMF says there is no scientific basis for such a tax cut, which reduced the country’s income by Rs. 600 billion being one-third of the total state revenue,” MP Wicremeratne said.
Romania, a country that has maintained diplomatic relationship with Sri Lanka for several decades in various fields, has become an increasingly popular destination among Sri Lankan skilled and semi-skilled Labour categories, especially in the fields of construction, manufacturing, hospitality, and services sectors.
At present, the recruitment of Sri Lankan workers to Romania is carried out by licensed private employment agencies under the
supervision of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau. However, since both parties have recognized the need of establishing a more organized and sustainable recruitment method due to increasing demand, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Government of Romania regarding cooperation in the field of the labour sector with the following objectives.
• Establishment of proper mechanism for recruitment and management of workers.
• Promotion of ethical and transparent recruitment practices.
• Protection of rights and welfare of the migrant workers.
• Facilitation of regular discussions between the formal and relevant authorities ofboth countries.
• Improvement of technical cooperation, skills recognition, and capacity building in the labour sector.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance,
Planning, and Economic Development to repeal Management Services Circular No. 01/2019 , dated 15-03-2019, issued regarding the implementation of development projects, and to issue a new management services circular including updated provisions instead.
Chief Prelates of the Malwathu, Asgiriya, Amarapura and Ramanna Nikayas, in a joint letter addressed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has expressed concern over the protracted delay in appointing a permanent Auditor General.
The Chief Prelates have said that the appointment of an outsider as the Head of the National Audit Office (NAO) responsible for ensuring transparency and accountability in public finances will be inappropriate.
The Chief Prelates have said that they are of the view that Dharmapala Gammanpila, a senior officer with extensive experience within the Auditor General’s Department, is the ideal candidate for the top post. They have also emphasised that his appointment will strengthen the government’s efforts to promote economic prosperity.
Chulantha Wickramaratne, who served as AG for a period of six years, retired in April 2025. Following his retirement, President Dissanayake nominated H.T.P. Chandana, an audit officer at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, as the AG. The CC rejected that nomination. Subsequently, President Dissanayake appointed the next senior-most official at the NAO Dharmapala Gammanpila as Acting Auditor General for a period of six months. Then, the President nominated Senior Deputy Auditor General L.S.I. Jayarathne to serve in an acting capacity, but her nomination, too, was also rejected. Many an eyebrow was raised when the President nominated O.R. Rajasinghe, the Internal Audit Director of the Sri Lanka Army for the top post. That nomination too was rejected. As a result, the vital position remains vacant since 07 December, 2025.
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