“ I am the former President without a majority, AKD is the current president without a majority”

By Yohan Perera   

Referring to his political fate and his rival candidate at the Presidential Election Anura Kumara Dissanayake, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said both himself and Dissanayake are in the same boat.   

Wickremesinghe who addressed an election meeting in Negombo said people in this country has not given a majority to both himself and Mr. Dissanayake at the Presidential Election.   

“ President Dissanayake has wanted me to stay at home as I have been defeated at the Presidential Election. Yes I accept that I was defeated as majority of people did not vote for me. The majority of people did not vote for Mr. Dissanayake either. Therefore, I am the former President without the endorsement of the majority and Dissanayake is the incumbent President who does not have the endorsement of the majority. Is there any difference between both of us. We are both in a similar position? “ he questioned.   

“ Anyway I hope that he will be able to serve a full term as the President, “ Mr. Wickremesinghe added.   

Mr. Wickremesinghe said the challenge before the incumbent government is to show the IMF how it is going to reduce state expenditure by 13 percent. He said Sri Lanka has to achieve this goal if it is going to secure IMF assistance continuously. “The Government will have to show how it is going to slash expenditure either through a vote on account or through a budget next year,” he said in this regard.   

He also challenged the government to shed the proposal to increase the salaries of public servants if it claims that the proposal made by the last regime is not legal. “ Both President Dissanayake and Minister Vijitha Herath has said the proposal to increase salaries is illegal. It was the cabinet which decided to increase salaries in two phases. The treasury initially said there was no funds to increase salaries. I told Udaya Seneviratne whom I appointed to look into salary increase to have a dialogue with the treasury and he did so and informed me that it will be possible to increase salaries in two phases. We decided to increase salaries in two phases accordingly and the cabinet approved this move. New government is now saying that it is illegal. The proposal should be slashed if it is illegal,” he added.