By Yohan Perera 

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday invited his rival candidates Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake for a live discussion with IMF officials and see how they will react to amendments they have proposed to the agreement which Sri Lanka has signed with the donor agency. 

“Both National People’s Power (NPP) and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) have said they will amend the agreement signed with IMF. Let’s have a live discussion with IMF and see how they react to amendments,” Presidential Wickremesinghe told the UNP Convention. 

“It is not possible to amend conditions put forward by IMF. If we try to amend the conditions, the IMF will stop assisting us. This happened to Greece some time ago. The new government in Greece informed IMF that it would amend the agreement. The IMF responded and said the agreement has to be fulfilled without amendments. Greece went into a crisis once again,” he said. 

“Both SJB and NPP have pledged to reduce taxes. State revenue will be lost in such an eventuality. Besides, Sri Lanka has agreed to earn a revenue of Rs 5 trillion in 2025. This target will be missed if taxes and tariffs are reduced. One wonders why NPP and SJB are trying to deceive people,” he added.  “I decided to take over the nation by following the tradition followed by  main political parties during the crisis period. Late President J. R. Jayewardene  who was the leader of the Opposition supported the late Ms. Bandaranaike’s  government to suppress the 1971 insurgency. Late Ms. Bandaranaike  cooperated with the UNP government in 1993 and refrained from fielding a candidate to succeed  Ranasinghe Premadasa, who was killed in a bomb attack,” the President recalled. 

The President said he chose MPs such as Harin Fernando, Kanchana Wijesekera, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Shehan Semasinghe, Bandula Gunawardana and Nimal Siripala de Silva as he wanted a good team of ministers. He said he wanted good officers as well and decided to work with  Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe. Sagala Ratnayake and the team which former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed to deal with IMF.