• Says should have gone before IMF earlier

By Sujith Hewajulige

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa admitted yesterday that he made a mistake by banning chemical farming, and therefore he decided to re-introduce it. He also said the government should have reached out to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a programme much earlier.   

Making his remarks to the newly appointed Cabinet ministers, the president said the public wrath over long queues for purchasing essentials is well understandable to him.  He said the government made mistakes, and they should be corrected to press ahead for the greater good of the country.   

The president said , “The institutions under the purview of respective Ministers should be transformed into institutions free from corruption and dedicated to delivering the service to the public. The President further said that as many state-owned enterprises are in dire financial crisis,  the ministers should refrain from filling those institutions by providing job opportunities. It is the responsibility of the Minister to transform them into job-generating institutions, the President added.  

The President made these remarks yesterday (18) addressing the newly appointed Cabinet of ministers.   
The people are suffering from a number of issues caused by the economic crisis. The President expressed regret over this and said that he would not abdicate his responsibility to manage the current challenges and difficulties.  
A number of racketeers who are taking advantage of the hardships faced by the people have also emerged. The President said the government is intervening to manage this situation. The President pointed out that some decisions that have been delayed for decades due to political reasons have to be made no matter how difficult they may be.  

The legislative power of the country lies with the Parliament. 

There is an opportunity to discuss in Parliament the views expressed by various political parties on the required changes in the Constitution and to approve the necessary amendments. The President said that he is ready to extend full support to Parliament at any time in this regard.