- No time for experiments
- President internationally trusted and respected
- Deserves to be in power for next five years
In a candid interview with the Sunday Observer, Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga staunchly defended his position that President Ranil Wickremesinghe should be reappointed, arguing there is no viable alternative for Sri Lanka. He credits President Wickremesinghe with crucial achievements like resolving fuel and medicine shortages, stabilising the economy, and improving international relations. Ranatunga says the importance of experience and international recognition in leadership, drawing parallels between Wickremesinghe’s economic crisis management and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s wartime leadership.
Excerpts from the interview
Q: You were the first to make the controversial statement from a different party that President Ranil Wickremesinghe should be reappointed as the President of this country. Do you still hold that position?
A: Yes, and not just that, I am willing to say that there is no other visible alternative for the country.
Q: But the Opposition accuses him of doing nothing in the past two years except restructuring debt and issuing warnings.
A: Who eliminated fuel queues, gas queues, medicine shortages, and fertiliser shortages? Who stopped the power cuts and brought the dollar from Rs. 400 down to Rs. 300. Was it those critics?
Q: But postponing debt payments by borrowing further and calling it a success for the country—is that really good news?
A: Let’s set aside the country’s debt for a moment. If you took a loan from a bank to build a house and couldn’t repay it due to financial difficulties or illness, and the bank was about to auction your house, what would you do first? You would talk to the bank to get an extension and some relief, right? If the bank agrees and you inform your family about the extension, isn’t that the best possible news for them at that moment? Only then can you start thinking about other family matters with a sigh of relief.
Q: Are you suggesting that our country was in such a dire situation?
A: Yes, our country was in that exact situation. There is a saying, “Better to be poor than sick.” When we admitted we could not repay the debt, we were isolated globally. The world was afraid to engage with us. Our international reacceptance came after the global agreement on debt restructuring. Just like the man about to lose his house, we were on the brink. Today, anyone can negotiate internationally thanks to the environment created by President Wickremesinghe. We must not forget that.
Q: However, some of his economic policies are heavily criticised for not fitting our country’s socio-economic environment?
A: The primary currency used in our country is the Sri Lanka Rupee. The economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic directly impacted our dollar income. Only then did we realise we could not survive with just Rupees; we needed Dollars for essential imports like oil, LP Gas, medicine, and food. These are the basic needs of the people. Do you remember the ships with oil and gas anchored at sea waiting for dollars? Could we purchase them with the Rupees in our pockets?
From 2028, we will have to take on the responsibility of repaying these foreign loans. Therefore, whether we like it or not, we need a dollar-generating machine. For that, we need a mature, experienced, and internationally recognised leader. Our only and best choice is President Wickremesinghe.
The world cannot be easily deceived as the people of our country were with lies. We have taken 16 IMF loans before and tried to deceive the world, only to deceive ourselves. The world wants to deal with leaders who adhere to globally recognised socio-economic and political principles, not those who believe in jungle law and deceit.
Q: You are still an active political leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). Are you saying that only the UNP leader can rebuild this country?
A: Our leader is President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He fulfilled his role properly. The biggest disaster we faced then was the LTTE war, and he won it. Although President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was successful in the war, he failed politically due to a lack of political experience and international support.
I am not trying to elect a UNP leader. I am trying to elect Ranil Wickremesinghe, an internationally trusted, seasoned politician. If we could govern the country together for two years and achieve this much, why cannot we serve the country together at least for another five years?
Q: He was appointed as an interim President. Why cannot someone else lead the country forward if he fulfills his duties?
A: If there is a suitable candidate, it is possible. But we do not see anyone else at the moment. Moreover, let us not forget that it was the people of this country who overwhelmingly defeated him in the elections and threw him into the political dustbin. Yet, this same person has created a breathing space for the people who treated him in that manner.
We should be ashamed of how we treated him back then. Therefore, before kicking the ladder we climbed up, we should think twice about how we are going to get down.
Q: Are you saying he should always be given power?
A: What I am saying is that he should be in power at least for the next five years. As he himself says, he has carefully walked the rope bridge with the child named Lanka on his shoulders so far. But remember, the journey is not yet complete.
Q: The National People Power’s (NPP) Anura Kumara Dissanayake says he will carefully cross the remaining part of the rope bridge?
A: Ranil Wickremesinghe has come halfway across the rope bridge, proving he can handle it carefully. So why hand over the rest to someone else? There’s a saying, “Better to trust the bird in hand than the bird in the bush.” I think it is wise to think that way for the country.
Q: Some say Ranil Wickremesinghe should not continue with the SLPP. What do you say?
A: He needs the strength and support of a major political stream, a party, to complete his duty to the country. No one else came forward to support him then or now. Our party and our MPs made that huge sacrifice for the country.
We supported him knowing he was the UNP leader, selflessly and unconditionally because there was no alternative at that moment. If our country’s largest political party had not taken that risk and supported him, who would have led the country? He achieved all this with the support of our party’s MPs and Cabinet.
Q: At this point, some might say your party supports him because you have no alternative?
A: They said the same when we first appointed him as President through a Parliamentary Vote. Ultimately, did the country or we benefit from it? At this point, our party has two options: remain silent or field our own candidate. If there is a hope among the people regarding Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership, who will work towards his victory if we choose one of the above options?
Don’t forget, this is not a Parliamentary election but an election to choose the country’s leader. We need a leader who can work with the world. We must fulfill that responsibility first. Not by letting personal vendettas against Ranil Wickremesinghe take precedence. Those issues can be resolved in a Parliamentary election. My message to the people is, “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.” If you do, you will end up harming yourself. History has enough examples of times when shortsighted decisions set the country back.
Q: Are you saying there is no other leader in the country capable of rebuilding it apart from Ranil Wickremesinghe?
A: The first thing is that running a country with a Treasury full of money is not the same as running a country with an empty Treasury of both Dollars and Rupees. Despite everything, no leader was willing to take on that challenge except him. The second thing is, he took over an empty Treasury and, while running the country, filled it with both Dollars and Rupees, bringing inflation from 70 percent down to single digits today. This was not an easy task. It requires the right political leadership.
No matter what anyone says, just as President Mahinda Rajapaksa provided the political leadership to win the war, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s political leadership was crucial to winning this economic war. Having worked closely with both leaders during those times, I know this very well.
Q: But during his two years in office, people had to face many bitter experiences?
A: He had to make many unpopular decisions, all for the sake of the people and the country. Because of the resulting pressure, he faced the people’s anger. He endured the criticism for the sake of the country and the people. If he had made popular decisions back then, the country would not have recovered this quickly. He took the criticism and made the right decisions, and the people endured the hardships.
Having trusted Ranil Wickremesinghe, our main political opponent for a long time, and supporting him as a party for the sake of the country, he often says that all these achievements are the result of a collective effort.
Q: Finally, are you saying President Ranil Wickremesinghe can win this election?
A: I am saying we should all unite to ensure his victory.
