Only Ranil Wickremesinghe can revive the economy - Former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne

Former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne says that it is only the former President Ranil Wickremesinghe that can review the country’s economy but not any other leader. “When Ethiopia went bankrupt few months ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wanted them to follow Ranil Wickremesinghe’s  method in stabilising the economy of Sri Lanka. This shows how much confidence the IMF has with Wickremesinghe’s performances,”  Dr. Senaratne said. According to Dr. Senaratne it was he who stopped Wickremesinghe from giving up the party leadership and said that although he is not a popular leader he is an intelligent leader who can safeguard this country from any calamity. According to him, all his efforts to get SJB leader Sajith Premadasa to work hand in glove with Wickremesinghe and contest the General election under a common banner Premadasa’s  attitude failed all attempts.

Excerpts of the interview-

 What made you support  former President Ranil Wickremesinghe at a time when he was becoming unpopular  due to his failure to give relief instead burdening them with all sorts of taxes?

I observed how Wickremesinghe was restoring the economy step by step eradicating the fuel and gas shortages and providing electricity un-interruptedly. Not only myself but also a majority of SJB MPs were having discussions to extend support to President Wickremesinghe to strengthen his hands. Although these MPs were dragging their feet to join the government, I took a bold decision and extended my support to President Wickremesinghe. 

When a leader takes a bold decision for the benefit of the people, always such leaders become unpopular. That was what happened to President Wickremesinghe as well. Although people of this country did not see the benefits what they were getting when Wickremesinghe was reviving the economy, the IMF knew his capacity and wanted Ethiopia to follow Wickremesinghe’s  method to come out of bankruptcy. 

His economic  development plan was also hailed by the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu. Even former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison when he visited Sri Lanka praised Wickremesinghe for reviving the economy. That’s why he was planning to increase the public sector salaries from 2025 and give tax concessions from April 2025.

 Ranil Wickremesinghe says that his government allocated money to increase the public sector salaries from January 2025 and requested President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to implement this. Although the former President said so, the present government says that this promise was given 24 hours before the start of the postal votes eyeing on to the public sector votes at the Presidential election. If President Wickremesinghe really wanted to give such a salary hike, why couldn’t he grant this before the Presidential election was announced?

Although President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government claims so, President Wickremesinghe from the beginning said that once he revives the country’s economy, public sector salaries will be increased and also promised to grant fertilizer and fuel subsidies for the farmers and the fishermen respectively.

This government is not capable in fulfilling the decisions taken by the then cabinet. Hence the people are now frustrated, especially the government servants. Wickremesinghe’s  government also took a decision to allow vehicle importation from 2025. Now the NPP government says that it will come into effect from 2026. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake cannot give relief to the people only Ranil Wickremasinghe is capable of doing so. Very soon President Anura Kumara’s name will go to history as the second failed leader of this country.

 How confident are you that the New Democratic Front (NDF) can win the general election and form the next government?

I won’t say we are going to win this General election since UNP is now divided. We can secure most number of seats to be the main opposition. Had UNP and SJB faced the Presidential election as one party, we could have won the Presidential election very easily.

 Although you say that the NDF will be elected as the main opposition, SJB Leader is confident in forming the next government.  

May be Sajith has such confidence in him to become the next Prime Minister which is just a day dream. In November 2019 also he was confident in defeating Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He only became the Opposition Leader. Sajith does not have the political knowledge and proper organising skills. It is Ranil Wickremesinghe that has those skills. 

 Allegations were leveled against President Wickremesinghe for fulfilling Rajapaksa’s  goals which was one reason why he became unpopular. Do you agree with this? 

Wickremesinghe never fulfilled any of what Rajapaksas requested nor safeguarded them. After becoming the President, Basil Rajapaksa has given a list of names to appoint them as Ministers to which the President has refused to. He did not want to appoint any of those who were hated by the people. If Wickremesinghe pleased Rajapaksas he would have appointed those who were recommended by Basil to the Cabinet. Wickremesinghe always worked for the betterment of the country but not to favour Rajapaksas.   

When Rajapaksas were trying to block all the good work of Wickremesinghe, nearly 2/3 of Rajapaksa allies started supporting him and that was why the vote base of the Podujana Peramuna eroded. It is from Rajapaksa vote base, President Dissanayake won the election. 

 Don’t you think that changing the party symbol from elephant to the gas cylinder impacted negatively the vote base of the country’s oldest political party – the UNP?

Although Wickremesinghe did not contest under the elephant symbol, people still voted for him because of his performances during the past two years. Although he contested under the elephant symbol in 2019 he didn’t get much votes but having contested under the gas cylinder symbol, he got a considerable number of votes this time. This shows people do not consider the party symbol or its name, but the leader’s performances over the past two years.

 As an MP since 1989, how confident are you in getting elected to the parliament at this General election?

People in the Kalutara District know how much I have worked for them. As the Minister of Health, I took many decisions to give people the best of medicine free of charge. Unlike today, all kinds of medicinal drugs were freely available in government hospitals and I banned issuing prescriptions to purchase drugs from private pharmacies. Even the patients were not allowed to get MRI or any other medical tests from private hospitals but from the government hospitals. In the health sector, we became the lowest in spending in Asia. That was why the World Bank report in 2018 said that Sri Lanka’s health service is pro-poor but not poor. As the Chairman of the Standing Sub Committee on Health, I took lots of decision to benefit the patients. Still my advice is sought by most of the Health Ministry officials.

  Is it true that after the Presidential election you got Wickremesinghe to go for a grand alliance with Sajith Premadasa and SJB in order to win the upcoming election promising the premiership to Sajith? Why didn’t this happen?

I had a lengthy discussion with President Wickremesinghe who agreed to make Sajith the PM. I then had a discussion with Sajith as well. Unfortunately he did not agree to this proposal and said that his party has the ability to win the election all alone.

Whilst I was with the SJB, I have openly told Sajith that he cannot restore the economy and only Wickremesinghe has that ability.  As a person who has worked closely with Sajith, I know his capacity. His capacity cannot be compared with Wickremesinghe’s. Sajith is a nice person but not a good politician.

After the General election, the SJB will erupt like a volcano. Most of the senior members will team up with Ranil. They want to get rid of Sajith from the leadership.