By Yohan Perera   

Taking a swipe at the name he is often referred to by some of his opponents, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said the government hierarchy should seek advice from the ‘grandfather’ if they do not know how to handle government finances.

“Those who are in the government should know how to handle government finances. The government has to implement the recommendations of the Udaya Seneviratne Committee to increase the salaries of public servants in two phases. 

It also has to move forward with the agreement to increase the threshold for PAYE tax to Rs. 150,000 and then raise it further to Rs. 200,000. Those in the government should be aware of this. If you are not aware of the facts, you should ask the grandfather,” Mr. Wickremesinghe told a meeting in Galle.

The former President was referring to comments made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during a talk show on Wednesday.

Referring to President Dissanayake’s statement that the third tranche of the IMF loan would be secured by the end of the year, Mr. Wickremesinghe said such a scenario would be possible only if the talks with the IMF were successful.

Former MP Wajira Abeywardena said former President Wickremesinghe would do the same as US President Donald Trump, who returned to power on Wednesday at the age of 78. “Former Presidents still have a sound mind,” he said