President Ranil Wickremesinghe said B. Sivalingam who taught him, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, former Speaker Anura Bandaranaike, and former Minister Malik Samarawickrama at Royal College, Colombo not to run away from challenges at the age of twelve, thirteen or fourteen. Teachers like Sivalingam did not teach Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, so he ran away without accepting the challenges.
The Puluvan Sri Lanka victory rally organised by the TMVP Leader, State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (Pillayan) to ensure President Wickremesinghe’s victory was held at the Kallady Shivananda National School Stadium, Batticaloa yesterday (August 24).
A large number of people from the Batticaloa district attended the public rally and warmly welcomed the President.
B. Sivalingam, the former Royal College teacher who had taught President Wickremesinghe went on the stage of the public rally and blessed the President.
Ninety-eight-year-old, Sivalingam lived at his home in Batticaloa after retirement. He had come to this rally after hearing that one of his students, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was coming to Batticaloa. Wickremesinghe sat next to his teacher on the stage until the end of the rally.
During his address, the President recalled a lesson from his teacher, attributing his success to a lesson from Royal College regarding the Emperors of Athens, “We will not bring disgrace to our city, by any act of cowardice or desert our suffering comrades in the ranks”.
The President highlighted how he overcame the challenge of leading the country and advancing the economy when others were unwilling to take on the task.
“Sivalingam, who taught me at Royal College, is on the stage today. He is not only my teacher but also that of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Therefore, he deserves a part of the credit for helping us to recover from the economic crisis,” he said.
The President said He also taught Anura Bandaranaike and Malik Samarawickrama. At Royal College, we had the privilege of learning about the oath of the youth Athenian Empires. “We will not bring disgrace to our city, by any act of cowardice or desert our suffering comrades in the ranks”, this inspiration guided me in 2022 when I took on the challenge of leading the country, a responsibility that no one else was willing to accept, and worked to advance the nation’s economy. I embraced the challenge of building a better future for the youth by advocating for the people and providing relief. This is why we confidently say, “Puluwan Sri Lanka.”
“I took on this challenge during a difficult period. At that time, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa who had no such teacher to guide him fled. Although the Opposition Leader was the alternative Prime Minister, he abandoned the people in their time of need. Similarly, Anura Kumara Dissanayake was also missing,” the President said.
He said, “Despite these challenges, we proceeded with our program in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). We faced tough decisions, as printing money or taking loans from local banks was not an option. We reduced costs and increased VAT to generate revenue, which ultimately strengthened the rupee.”
President Wickremesinghe said that the Opposition aimed to halt the initiative to advance the country by providing relief to the people. Despite this, the Government had focused on easing the burden on people’s lives over the past two years.
The President said the Government would have created better living conditions for all citizens by 2025/2026. The President called upon all Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims to unite in working towards this goal. He emphasized that ensuring the well-being of the people is not a violation of fundamental rights and affirmed his readiness to make any necessary decisions for their benefit.
We also launched the “Aswesuma‟ program, increasing allowances for kidney patients and differently-abled persons by 50 percent. We provided extensive relief, including a Rs.10,000 allowance for Government employees. Currently, we are implementing measures based on the Udaya Seneviratne Committee report.
Starting from 2025, it has been proposed to provide a monthly allowance of Rs. 25,000 to Government employees. Following this, the starting monthly salary will be Rs. 55,000. An interim pension allowance of Rs. 3,000 has been granted. The interest rate for senior citizen fixed deposits below one million has been increased from 8.5 to 10 percent. The allowance for pre-school teachers has been raised to Rs. 5,000.
Under the “Urumaya” program, we are granting free land rights to two million people. Moreover, 250,000 people residing in Government flats in Colombo have been given housing rights. Villages are also being set up in plantation areas, and land rights are being allocated to the residents. Although the “Urumaya” program was paused due to the election, work must proceed swiftly. Therefore, a separate authority will be established by law to complete the program within the next three years.
The President said, “Thanks to the measures we’ve implemented over the past two years, the cost-of-living for the people has decreased. Since July 2022, the price of red dhal has dropped by 41%, wheat flour by 29%, and chicken by 11%. Fuel prices have also seen significant reductions: diesel prices are down by 28%, and gas prices have decreased by 31%.”
Specifically, the price of diesel has dropped from Rs. 450 to Rs. 317, while the minimum bus fare has been reduced from Rs. 40 to Rs. 28. Gas prices have dropped from Rs. 5,370 to Rs. 3,600. To symbolise this progress, I selected the gas cylinder as my election symbol. I am committed to providing further relief and continuing to reduce the living burden on the people, he said.
Minister of Transport, Highways and Mass Media Dr.Bandula Gunawardhana said as a political leader of the Batticaloa District, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan has made significant contributions to the development of the Eastern Province, particularly in improving infrastructure.
He said, “It is important to recognise that the upcoming Presidential Election is crucial for confirming the country’s democracy and advancing the development of the people. In 2022, the nation endured significant suffering due to the violent actions of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), with some protesters even attempting to set fire to Parliament. During this uncontrolled time, Ranil Wickremesinghe courageously protected Parliament and upheld the rule of law and democracy in the country.”
The Minister said Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa, who ran away during the country’s crisis, have no moral right to contest the Presidential election. President l Wickremesinghe has created an environment where elections can be held, and people can live without fear or uncertainty. Due to his true leadership, the majority of political parties in this country are supporting the common candidate, President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in this Presidential Election. No one can prevent President Wickremesinghe, who rescued the country from the economic crisis and safeguarded the people’s sovereignty, from being re-elected with the support of 70% of the electorate.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa is currently spreading false propaganda about the state of the economy. I challenge him to immediately present a plan to the country on how he intends to secure funding for Budget 2025.
