President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed the nation on Wednesday. He had been planning to address the nation since a week ago, with several countries including Japan representing the Paris Club, as well as China and India expressing their willingness to restructure bilateral debt. President Wickremesinghe informed the Political Cabinet about this matter.
Accordingly, they started making plans on how the President would convey the debt restructuring message to the country. The task was entrusted to the media sub-committee of Ministers and officials which come under the purview of the Political Cabinet. President Wickremesinghe decided to address the nation after the signing of the Paris Club and China debt restructuring agreements.
President visits Batticaloa
The media sub-committee planned to start a pre-campaign and campaign aimed at the Presidential Election. While they were discussing the media operation, the President left for Batticaloa last weekend.
President Wickremesinghe first went to the Zion Church in Batticaloa and inquired about its on-going restoration work. After the Easter Sunday bomb attack, money was allocated for its restoration work, but the President said that the restoration work had not been done after the change of Government.
The President advised Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka to start the restoration work of the Zion Church with Army labour with the money of the Presidential Secretariat.
After awarding the Urumaya land deeds, the President went to State Minister S. Viyalendran’s residence. As this Member of Parliament who contested the election under the TNA ticket, is currently leading a separate party, its members also came to his residence.
After the tea party, it was revealed in the friendly conversation that MP Viyalendran is a talented tuition teacher. The MP told the President that he still conducts tuition classes on weekends.
Thereafter, he went to the office of State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan. At the same time, they decided to extend their support to President Wickremesinghe in the upcoming Presidential Election.
The next day, when the President was going to the Kattankudy Grand Jummah Mosque, he got out of the vehicle and engaged in a friendly conversation with the people who had gathered on both sides of the road. MP Ali Zahir Moulana was also present.
When the President arrived at the Batticaloa airport on Sunday evening to travel to Colombo, the President met another important person – TNA Parliamentarian Shanakiyam Rasamanickam. Both of them discussed local issues as well as politics, showing positive signs.
The President went to the Presidential Secretariat on Monday to start the week’s duties. He got to know from several people about the poster that was put up that day. There is a poster saying ‘The news is good’. The people who met the President said so.
“Yes, that is the work of Manusha. His people made the poster. I was told about it too,” the President replied.
Minister Manusha presented this to the Media Committee as a pre-campaign poster. It was liked by everyone, so it was decided first to stick it all over the country. After a while, the best publicity the poster got was when the Opposition groups circulated the poster with their amendments on social media.
Opposition upset
The Opposition was also upset about President Wickremesinghe’s address to the nation. They started expressing different opinions about the President’s speech and the ‘News is good’ poster in the media. “Sir, Harsha and others in the SJB say that you are going to convey the message to the nation that the country will get out of bankruptcy. They say that it can only be announced by the credit rating groups,” Akuressa Organiser Dinouk Colombage told the President.
“I haven’t made the speech yet. I didn’t even say that I would say such a thing. Don’t they want the country out of bankruptcy?” the President gave a different answer.
The President presented the information relating to the agreement between the Paris Club and China to restructure the debt at the Cabinet meeting on Monday evening. Information about addressing the nation was also revealed there.
Following the Cabinet meeting, President Wickremesinghe discussed with his friends about the speech he would deliver on June 26 and he asked the group about the right time to make the announcement.
“The Paris Agreement will be signed at two o’clock in the afternoon Sri Lanka time. It would be good if we can see what is happening there and get an update and telecast this speech live on all media at 8.00 pm,” Director General of Government Information, Dinith Chinthaka Karunaratne said.
President Wickremesinghe, who approved it, advised Dinith Chinthaka that he would address the nation at 8.00 p.m. on June 26 and to send letters to the heads of media institutions informing them about it. Accordingly, he had requested all the heads of media institutions to reserve time for the President on June 26 at 8 pm.
On Tuesday, the President forwarded the recommendation again to the Constitutional Council to extend the term of the Attorney General by six months. He also instructed the President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake to inform the Prime Minister to convene Parliament for a special session on July 2. Accordingly, it was organised by the President’s Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Prof. Ashu Marasinghe. The debt restructuring agreement signed with the Paris Club and the Chinese debt restructuring agreement are due to be submitted to Parliament on that day.
UNP Management Committee meets
President Wickremesinghe, who finished his duties early in the morning, left for Ampara to join the ceremony of presenting Urumaya land deeds. That evening, the UNP Management Committee met and General Secretary Range Bandara told the President that party members had asked for an opportunity to celebrate when the President gives the good news to the country.
The President said that he had no objection to it, saying that he could not prevent the public’s response to the good news.
The meeting between the Paris Club and the Chinese team was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. In the meantime, the President also prepared to address the nation in the evening. He made preparation by calling Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka and President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake who was a leader in the debt restructuring talks.
State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe informed the President about all the information in France. Information from China was received through the Chinese Embassy. On receiving that information, President Wickremesinghe addressed the nation and revealed the good news to the country.
President Wickremesinghe visited the Malwathu and Asgiri Mahanayaka Theras on Thursday morning with the good news of the debt restructuring agreement. The economic situation of the country as well as several social issues was also discussed there.
The President, who paid homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic, also interacted with the pilgrims who had come to the Sri Dalada Maligawa.
Then he went to Balangoda and visited the Mahanayaka Thera of the Amarapura Nikaya and explained the economic situation of the country. In the evening, the President also visited the Mahanayaka Thera of the Kotte Chapter and explained the matter to him.
Presidential Environment Awards
On Friday morning, the President joined the Presidential Environment Awards 2024 ceremony and in the evening he attended the launch of the book written by Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka. After that, the President also joined the meeting of the Members of Parliament forum in Colombo.
A ruling party MP had informed an SJB MP that the Government is planning a publicity campaign targeting President Ranil Wickremesinghe to create an opinion among the public that the country has got out of bankruptcy.
That MP had said that the Government is going to great extents to get consultancy services for that. A group of MPs focused their attention on this and said that the Government’s attempt should be revealed to the country early.
SJB Parliamentarian S.M. Marikkar said President Ranil Wickremesinghe at an earlier news conference made a statement that the country was out of bankruptcy. Therefore, we should tell the public that the President is again preparing for a similar duplicitous speech.
MP Hector Appuhamy said, “A few weeks ago, we disclosed this at a press conference but it didn’t receive much attention. Therefore, it is appropriate to highlight this story again.”
Accordingly, MP Marikkar told a press conference what happened after the President’s statement that the country is out of bankruptcy, is that the tax burden has increased. That is only to reduce the interest rates of ETF/EPF members.
Meanwhile, a stalwart of the ruling party had informed an SJB MP by telephone that the Government is ready to start a poster campaign and the first poster ‘Good news’ will be released.
“We need to tell the country about this promptly. Under the pretext of ‘Good news’, attempts are being made to disseminate the myth among the people that the country is out of bankruptcy,’’ MP Mujibur Rahuman said.
“If the country is to get out of bankruptcy, bilateral, multilateral and international sovereign bond debt needs to be restructured. Sri Lanka ratings need to be raised by international rating agencies. Without that, it will not happen only by the statements we make,’’ MP Kabir Hashim said while commenting on it.
“After the President’s statement, MPs Kabir Hashim, Dr. Harsha de Silva and Eran Wickramaratne should conduct the press conference of the party’s Economic Committee on Thursday instead of Wednesday and explain about it,” MP Rahuman.
Accordingly, based on the President’s statement, MPs Kabir Hashim and Dr. Harsha de Silva decided to hold a press conference. MP Eran Wickramaratne did not participate as he was abroad.
MP Harsha de Silva said that the SJB has indicated from the beginning that the support of the IMF is needed to find solutions to the economic crisis. No explanation has been made yet regarding the agreements signed.
“The rights of the ETF/ EPF of Government employees in their retirement were targeted in domestic debt restructuring and we oppose this. Are these victories? The proposals by bondholders are not optimistic for the country. The IMF says the country’s economy is on a knife edge. There are seven million poor people in the country. The President didn’t make any reference in his speech,” he said.
MP Kabir Hashim said, “In this speech, the President talked about Asadak in Hunuwataye Kathawa (The Caucasian Chalk Circle), asking the people to act like Asadak. The SJB acted like Asadak from the beginning. We said the wrong thing was wrong and the right thing was right. But the Government has not provided answers to the people. The Government is accused of protecting the people who bankrupted the country.”
MP Harsha Rajakaruna said, “The word I was in the entire speech of the President. It’s similar to a comment by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who said I am the one who did the best. Those days Rajapaksas sold the war. Today President Ranil Wickremesinghe is selling the debt.’’
MP Mujibur Rahuman said, “Politics using debt restructuring and pasting posters all over Colombo is a shameless act.’’
It is reported that a situation of forming a National Government has emerged after the debt restructuring. As the Opposition Leader has no clear knowledge of the economic crisis, there is no alternative other than forming a National Government.
It was reported on social media that 17 members of the Opposition are ready to support a National Government.
Among these MPs are Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Champika Ranawaka, Ishaq Rahman, Dr. Kavinda Jayawardene, J.C. Alawathuwala, Kabir Hashim, Thalatha Athukorala, Niroshan Perera and Dr. Harsha de Silva.
Rally in Wellawaya
A special meeting of the politbureau of the new alliance was held in a Colombo hotel on Thursday morning. Special attention was paid to successfully organising the rally to be held in Wellawaya. After it was over, the group of Ministers and MPs also discussed the current political issues.
“Unlike other times, this time the President’s address to the nation was the focus of everyone in the country,” said Minister Nalin Fernando.
“Yes, yes, it is true. In the villages, our closest party members asked what is this ‘good news’,” Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said joining the conversation. “The Good News poster has become a much-discussed topic,” MP Piyankara Jayaratne said.
“Another poster was put up in Colombo to sling mud as it seriously affected saboteurs. That is why they put up such a poster,” MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said.
“Who did that?” asked State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna.
“Some of the hypocritical members in the Opposition,” MP Nimal Lanza said.
“They are doing this to disrupt the work of the President and incite people, but people now understand that they are hypocrites,” said Minister Nalin Fernando.
“Yes, they cannot tolerate the program carried out by the President, and the people of the country are being taken for a ride and they get miserable pleasure from it,” MP Nimal Lanza said in an aggressive manner.
“What Lanza said is right. Those innocent teachers were brought to Colombo because they were afraid that the ‘good news’ would go to the country,” Lasantha Alagiyawanna said.
“Yes, those devils wanted to send two or three teachers to the hospital and put on a media show,” MP Duminda Dissanayake said.
“Now the President has brought the country on the right path by creating a good economy and these people should know that they are running freely on that ground created by the President,” Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.
Fake news
Meanwhile, the new alliance also started the program from last week to educate the representatives at district and electoral level targeting the forthcoming Presidential Election.
“Sir, there is a news circulating that you berated Basil Sir. Is that true?” MP Kokila Gunawardhana asked Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.
“The best thing is that I didn’t even know about such a thing until former Minister Basil Rajapaksa asked me,” Minister Prasanna said with a smile.
“Then this news is not true?” MP Sahan Pradeep asked.
“Yes, that is a plant. I know who planted that fake news. There is no issue between Basil Rajapaksa and me. We often talk,” said Minister Prasanna.
