- Instead of blaming each other lets come together to build a prosperous society for future generations
– The President said delivering the keynote address at the ‘Economic Dialogue- IMF & Beyond’
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has a final opportunity to progress and it is imperative for everyone to collaborate in creating a prosperous community for future generations, without resorting to finger-pointing, emphasized President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe made this statement during his keynote address at the ‘Economic Dialogue- IMF and Beyond’ panel discussion, which took place at the Colombo Galle Face Hotel this morning (30).
At the CEO Forum hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed that the Government should surpass the IMF program and concentrate on establishing a thriving community for upcoming generations, emphasizing the Government’s dedication to this goal.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe reflected on Sri Lanka’s past missed opportunities for development, specifically highlighting the failure to implement Mr. D.S. Senanayake’s proposals and the Shenoy Report of 1966. He further added that the country’s progress was hindered by the ethnic issue of 1978, which impeded the chance to rebuild the country’s foundation for development.
He said that the ethnic issue cannot be separated from the economic issue and if the country is to prosper, this issue must be resolved.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted Sri Lanka’s potential for a green economy and stressed the urgency for the country to embark on digitalization. He further emphasized that funding should be directed towards education, health, and social security for marginalized and underprivileged groups, rather than being spent on entities such as the Sri Lanka Petroleum Corporation, Sri Lankan Airlines, and the Ceylon Electricity Board, which have already drained a significant amount of the country’s resources.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera, Minister of State for Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Minister of State for Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama, Members of Parliament Eran Wickramaratne, M.A. Sumanthiran, Dr. Harsha de Silva, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Staff to the President Sagala Ratnayake, President’s Senior Adviser on Climate Change Ruwan Wijayawardena, President’s Economic Adviser Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance Deshal De Mel, Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. Mahinda Siriwardena, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and others attended the event.
The Panel discussion was moderated by Attorney at law Mohamed Adamaly and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Vish Govindasamy, Chairman of Joint Apparel Association Forum Sri Lanka (JAAFSL) Sharad Amalean, BASL representative Attorney at law Harsha Fernando, Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM) Chairman Ashique M.Ali , Chartered Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka (CIPM) Chairman Ken Vijayakumar, President of Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) Nuwan Gamage, The Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce(WCIC) Chairperson Anoji De Silva, President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) Sanjaya Bandara, The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors Chairman Faizal Salieh participated in the Panel as members representing Professional Bodies and Chambers.
