News
Prez urges MPs to sink differences, support IMF deal
By Saman Indrajith
President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday that the MPs had been left with no other alternative but to support the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Sri Lanka.
Delivering a special statement in the House when the IMF/EFF facility was taken up for debate, the President said that there was no other solution for the economic crisis here. Nobody had come up with any alternative. This is the only path to recovery and therefore all MPs would have to vote for this, the President said.
“Sri Lanka’s total debt is USD 83.6 Billion. Foreign debt amounts to USD 41.5 Billion. Domestic debt amounts to USD 42 Billion. We need to restructure the debt. A separate discussion on debt restructuring will be held with China after which discussions will get underway with private creditors.”
President Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka was expected to receive financial assistance of USD three billion within the next four years. “Sri Lanka can expect to obtain a total of USD seven billion as financial assistance from various institutions, following the necessary discussions. We cannot put conditions, prior to the discussion, as it will result in the other party also putting forth conditions. We have to first engage in discussions and then look at the various issues,” he said.
The President said that some banks have raised concerns that the Colombo Stock Exchange would collapse due to certain measures taken with regard to the banking system.
“Some banks say they cannot face this situation. Then all I have to say is take over this responsibility and carry forward the economy. The stock market says that it will collapse. If that happens, I will close it down. They cannot come and speak about conditions now. If that is the case and the CSE collapses, then I will shut it down. Various sectors cannot come forth and put conditions at a time when the country is slowly moving forward. The matter will be discussed in Parliament and a final decision will be taken, which will be conveyed to the relevant sectors,” he said, adding that eight months after the unrest in July 2022, Sri Lanka has now made a comeback. “This is Sri Lanka’s comeback story.”
The President urged the whole country, including opposition political parties, to join in the efforts to resurrect Sri Lanka.
“Some trade unions have raised their issues with regard to taxation. All those things can be discussed and resolved. We, the whole Parliament, should be turned into a government in order to complete this purpose. Let’s get together for this, despite the differences in opinions.”
He said that now the country should be built up for the year 2048. “If we don’t do this, we will ruin the future of the youth”, he said.
“We have no alternative except for the IMF. No one has proposed any such programme. In the absence of a working alternative, our option is to approve this, the President said.
The IMF/EFF will be taken up for debate in Parliament for three days from April 26 to 28.
Retired SSP Shani Abeysekera, serving the Police Department again, has been appointed to the committee headed by Senior DIG Asanka Karawita, tasked with studying the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) report on the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage.
The other members of the team are DIG, CID, Director, CID and Director Terrorism Investigation Division (TID)
Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday said that Abeysekera had been one of the law enforcement officers whose conduct raised eyebrows over the years as regards the failure on the part of the CID to thwart the Easter Sunday attacks.
The National Police Commission approved the reappointment of SSP Abeysekera on contractual basis for one year, with effect from 10 Oct., 2024.
Abeysekera backed Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s presidential election campaign as a member of the retired police collective.
The Rite of Translation of the body of Pope Francis took place in the Vatican on Wednesday (23) morning, led by the College of Cardinals gathered in Rome following his death.
Vatican News reported: “Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, began the liturgical rite in the Chapel of the Casa Santa Marta with a brief prayer for the soul of Pope Francis.
In the opening prayer, Cardinal Farrell thanked God for the 12-year ministry of the late Pope.
“As we now leave this home, let us thank the Lord for the countless gifts He bestowed on the Christian people through His servant, Pope Francis,” he prayed. “Let us ask Him, in His mercy and kindness, to grant to the late Pope an eternal home in the kingdom of heaven, and to comfort with the celestial hope the papal family, the Church in Rome, and the faithful throughout the world.”
The College of Cardinals then led the procession of the coffin through the Vatican’s Santa Marta Square, under the Arch of the Bells, and into St. Peter’s Square.
Over 20,000 people had gathered in the square to pay their respects to the late Pope, erupting into subdued but sustained applause as his coffin was carried up the steps and into St. Peter’s Basilica.
The late Pope’s coffin was placed in front of the Altar of the Confession, and the choir chanted the Litany of the Saints in Latin for the repose of his soul.
Cardinal Farrell then led a brief Liturgy of the Word, which included a reading from the Gospel of John (17:24-26) of Jesus’ priestly prayer proclaiming the love of God for Him and for His disciples.
The rite concluded with the chanting of the Salve Regina, a Marian hynm that begins “Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy.”
Members of the College of Cardinals then paid their respects to the late Pope Francis, followed by the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Stockholm Kapila Fonseka concurrently accredited to Estonia presented credentials to Estonian President Alar Karis at a ceremony held in Tallinn, Estonia recently.
Sri Lanka and Estonia enjoy cordial bilateral relations for 29 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1996. The two countries held the first round of bilateral consultations in Colombo in 2024.
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