I don’t think there are many who personally like me: President

• Had to consider coming out of semi-retirement, because he knew he could turn the country around
• “I must thank everyone in the political system who rallied around

By Kalani Kumarasinghe   

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he is aware that not many in the political circles are fond of him personally. 

The President made these remarks addressing the 36th Annual Conference of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) of Sri Lanka at the Kingsbury, Colombo. 
 
Wickremesinghe said that he had to consider coming out of semi-retirement, because he knew he could turn the country around and stabilize the economy.  

“Despite all the criticisms I accepted the job. Then there was a chance of turning the economy around much faster. “I must thank everyone in the political system who rallied around, not because they like me -- I don’t think there are very many who personally like me. But certainly they knew the job had to be done,” the President said.  

President Wickremesinghe also underscored the necessity of building on this initial success, highlighting the importance of constructive solutions over political distractions.