President’s Bold Claim: Economy Takes Priority Over Governance Issues!

News Today: President Ranil Wickremesinghe focuses on building the economy as the top priority

President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed the media today, emphasizing that building the economy is his top priority, rather than focusing on other issues such as governance reforms, the abolition of the Executive Presidency, or passport issuance challenges. He remarked that, while the country has debated the abolition of the Executive Presidency for the past 20-30 years, the more urgent matter at hand has been the economy, which has been overlooked.

“In my view, governance is second, and the economy comes first,” Wickremesinghe stated. The President expressed pride in witnessing a presidential election centered on economic concerns, which he believes transcends traditional issues such as race, religion, or caste. According to him, economic challenges have impacted all Sri Lankans equally, and this presents an opportunity for the country to unite and address broader social issues.

“As President, I am proud to oversee an election process where economic concerns take precedence over divisive issues such as race, religion, or caste. This is a time for us to come together and address pressing social disparities. We must tackle issues like childcare and domestic violence. To this end, we have introduced women’s and children’s desks at every police station, but more reforms are needed,” the President added.

Wickremesinghe also highlighted the importance of completing critical reforms that have been discussed for many years by various governments and within International Monetary Fund (IMF) programs. These include the Economic Transition Bill, the Electricity Reform Bill, and the Public Finance Management Bill, all of which are still pending implementation. He acknowledged the ongoing delays but assured that these reforms remain a priority.

Regarding the country’s debt, the President denied that International Sovereign Bond (ISB) holders have set a mid-September ultimatum. He stated that discussions with ISB holders would resume only after the upcoming presidential election, but refrained from divulging any further details.

In response to a question about the current crisis surrounding passport issuance, Wickremesinghe confirmed that the government has taken full responsibility. He explained that the decision to move away from conventional passports to e-passports is part of the government’s broader strategy for modernization, ensuring that passport issuance processes are improved in the long run.

As the President highlighted, addressing economic concerns remains at the forefront of his agenda, and other issues will be secondary until the economy stabilizes. He concluded by urging all stakeholders to support the government’s economic agenda and prioritize the wellbeing of the nation.