News
Prof. Dunusinghe debunks govt.’s claims about stabilising economy
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Until Sri Lanka has access to international money markets, which will allow it to ensure there are no short-term dollar shortages, relaxing the restrictions on vehicle imports is out of the question, Professor in Economics at the Department of Economics at Colombo University, Dr. Priyanga Dunusinghe, said.
Even then, relaxing vehicle imports should be done in a slow and methodical manner, he said.
“A lot of people ask me whether I can give a date when this could be. However, giving a timeline is difficult because we have not yet managed to restructure our international debt. The government says this can be done in the middle of the year. Once the government manages that, we will have access to bilateral credit. After a while, we might be able to slowly relax restrictions on imports.”
Prof. Dunusinghe said people must not expect our economy to return to 2018 levels, soon after foreign debt is restructured.
He added that even if the government succeeds in foreign debt restructuring, it is improbable that the rupee will strengthen. It is likely that the rupee will hover around the current rates or be in a slightly depreciated state.
“We see increased economic activity, and with this, the demand for imports will rise. However, given that market mechanisms govern the exchange rate, I don’t see large fluctuations.”
Even with recent hikes, the tax revenue of the government is not adequate to cover the expenses. When the daily revenue is about 11 billion rupees, the daily expenditure is around 19 billion rupees, he said.
“The government needs to reduce its expenditure. It should also take steps to collect the taxes it can. The government says it has stabilised the economy, but many fear that it’s not a ‘stabilisation’ that can lead to growth in the medium term.”
Prof. Dunusinghe said Sri Lankans see Ministers still enjoying perks. They have not reduced their expenditure. There are also many issues with the procurement process.
Recently, Verite Research issued a report, and they said Sri Lanka’s procurement guidelines don’t allow for blacklisting contractors/suppliers involved in fraud and corruption, and the compliance gap is shown by the failure to maintan a blacklist for defaulting contractors.
“We are the only South Asian country that doesn’t blacklist contractors/suppliers involved in fraud and corruption. There are so many instances where companies provide low-quality goods to government agencies. We see so many substandard constructions. Things are increasingly getting worse. Companies make profit by selling a 100-rupee item at 250 to the government and make profit. How can the government reduce expenditures like this? If we make the procurement process transparent, a lot of waste can be reduced.”
Prof. Dunusinghe said corruption and bribery have to be stopped for the country to go forward. Government, as well as senior bureaucrats, have a significant role to play.
He added that Sri Lanka has a great potential for tourism. However, the country should be mindful that the industry seems to face extremely challenging situations once every three to four years.
“This is like a bubble that can burst. We should focus on tourism, but we must also focus on boosting exports. Remittances are also important, but overdependence on them becomes a curse. In recent years, we have become increasingly dependent on remittances and tourism, and we don’t focus on anything else. We don’t think about boosting exports. We send our youth and professionals abroad, hoping they will send a lot of money. This is how we plan on running our economy. Let me be clear: no country has developed from remittances.”
Prof. Dunusinghe said a strong export sector, based on correct Foreign Direct investment (FDI), is the path for development for Sri Lanka.
“Depending on tourism alone is also very risky. We need to diversify,” he said.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Iran has sought the Indian intervention, at the highest level, to provide lifesaving support to the crews of empty Iranian vessels stranded just outside Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical mile territorial waters off Galle.
Sources familiar with the issue said that Iran had brought the developing situation to the attention of New Delhi as the crews of almost 20 vessels, included Indian nationals. Sources stressed that the group of vessels that unloaded crude oil a couple of months back were now stranded within Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The US Navy torpedoed an unarmed Iran frigate, returning from India, on 04 March, 2026, about 19 nautical miles off the Galle coast. The unprovoked attack killed nearly 100 Iranians.
The Iranian Embassy in Colombo has inquired from the Indian High Commission of their response to the situation, sources said. The US has issued a global warning against providing food, water, medicine and other services to the Iranian vessels. The outcome of Iran-India talks on the issue at hand was not known, though sources asserted India may not throw its weight behind Iranian efforts to address the issue.
Responding to The Island queries, sources said both Sri Lanka and India were in a dilemma due to the US warning. India couldn’t ignore the plight of the Indian crew members and the Iranian vessels in its backyard.
The Sri Lankan government remains tight-lipped about the vessels stranded in its EEZ. Our efforts to elicit a response from relevant authorities were in vain. In addition to Indians, there are Bangladeshis among the crew members. Iran has explicitly stated the responsibilities of the countries concerned to provide assistance in terms of international law.
The Iranian position was articulated by its Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dr.Alireza Delkhosh, recently. In a special statement, Ambassador Delkhosh emphasised that in terms of the Convention on the Law of the Sea (Article 98) as well as SOLAS and SAR
Conventions, Sri Lanka couldn’t refrain from providing the needs of the Iranian vessels stranded in its EEZ.
SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem lambasted the NPP government in Parliament for failing to provide assistance to the Iranian ships. The former Minister alleged that the government was simply carrying out dictates of the US. He strongly criticised the way Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath was handling the issue.
MP Namal Rajapaksa, who is in remand custody over the controversial Airbus deal, was further remanded until October 27 by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday (13).
Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama made the order after considering submissions by officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and lawyers representing Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka’s economy is expected to sustain its recovery over the next two years, although growth is projected to moderate amid mounting global uncertainties, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest World Economic Outlook.
In its World Economic Outlook 2026: Resilience Under Strain, Urgent Choices, the IMF projects Sri Lanka’s economy to expand by 4% in 2026, slowing to 3.7% in 2027, following estimated growth of 5% in 2025.
Inflation, meanwhile, is forecast to rise to 5.3% in 2026 and 5.4% in 2027, reversing the average deflation rate of 0.5% recorded in 2025.
Unemployment is expected to remain steady at 3.9% throughout the forecast period.
The projections come amid growing pressure on the global economy from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, elevated energy prices, geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions.
Sri Lanka’s external position is also expected to weaken, with the current account balance projected to shift from a surplus of 1.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 to deficits of 0.5% in 2026 and 0.3% in 2027.
The IMF’s outlook points to continued economic expansion in Sri Lanka, but with slower growth, rising inflation and a narrowing external surplus giving way to current account deficits over the forecast period.
Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura district.
Sri Lanka, India caught in US-Iran ship crisis
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