By Saman Indrajith

UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday in Parliament asked the government to give a date for a debate on an upcoming IMF report on Sri Lanka.

Wickremesinghe said that the report would be published in the third week of this month. Therefore, it was better if the House could debate the report in the first week of March.

The former Premier said that such a debate would enable MPs to debate the content of the report without their party affiliations and the Leader of the House should table that report and the Finance Committee too should pay attention to the content of the IMF report.

The UNP leader said that there was no use of trying to ascertain whether the present financial crisis in the country was because of the mismanagement of the incumbent government or of the former government or of King Mahasen. “What is needed at the time is to get everybody’s opinion and suggestions to reach a common consensus and a sound plan to steer the country out of the present crisis situation”, he said.

The UNP leader asked for a date for a debate during the first sitting week of March. “Someone has to come up with a plan to solve the present crisis and that plan should be reached with the concurrence of all in Parliament and thereafter it could be sent to the President”, Wickremesinghe said.

Leader of the House Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the matter of allocating a date for the debate could be discussed at the next party leaders’ meeting.

Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said that his party too had asked for a two day debate on the current economic crisis. Parliament was said to have the financial controlling power of the country. Yet the Finance Minister did not come to Parliament. He did not keep Parliament informed of the financial situation and nobody knew what was happening.

“The finance minister gives interviews to newspapers and voice cuts to TVs but does not inform parliament. Even Minister Udaya Gammanpila said that the present economic crisis is not because of the COVID-19 pandemic”, Kiriella added.

Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando: The Chief Opposition Whip asking for a two day debate. They had been waiting till the economy collapsed in the month of January. They even made arrangements to come on TV live to tell the nation that the economy collapsed. Your economic experts predicted that this country would go bankrupt. That did not happen. In the same way we would not let this crisis affect the country’s economy. We have the strength to manage the crisis. The finance minister is handling his ministry properly.