SLFP objects to selling of profitable SOEs

By Sandun A Jayasekera

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) yesterday said the party voted against the budget 2023 on Tuesday (22) to record its protest and disagreement to the proposed selling of profit making State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) as it poses a threat to the national security and goes against the national interests.   

Party leader and the former President Maithripala Sirisena addressing the media at the party office said that the SLFP voted against at the second reading of the budget 2023 as President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government is in a move to sell profit making state ventures like the Sri Lanka Telecom, the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, the Waters Edge and the nationally important national carrier SriLankan Airlines.   

“We cannot let this happen. But we have no issue if the government restructures only the loss making SOEs. Sri Lankan Airlines, though a loss making enterprise has a national significance as the national carrier and is a symbol of the nation. Besides, its two profit making subsidiaries, Sri Lankan Catering and Ground Handling earns profits regularly,” Sirisena stressed.