IMF has deviated from its stance on SL: Kiriella

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had deviated from its original stance where they claimed earlier that the Government should obtain the people's mandate to implement the economic reforms of the IMF, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella said today.

Speaking during the adjournment debate on the IMF report, he told Parliament that the IMF stressed in September last year that the Government should obtain the people's mandate to carry out the reforms of the IMF and questioned the IMF as to why it had changed its stance.

Kiriella said the Government was not in a position to implement the IMF conditions without seeking the mandate of the people.

"The Government is planning to sell off profitable Government ventures. They can't do so without obtaining people's mandate. It is against the mandate of 69 million who voted for the SLPP and the mandate of the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as they pledged not to privatize State institutions," he said.

The MP urged the Government to seek any mandate, be it Local Government elections or the General Election and added that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) was not in a position to support the IMF report, which has put people's lives in distress due to IMF conditions. (Ajith Siriwardana)