APC gets underway: Prez says won’t seek political advantage; Basil undertakes to present new budget

By Anura Balasuriya and Erik Gamini Jinapriya- 2022/03/24

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has assured political parties that his government will not seek any political advantage by calling an All-Party Conference (APC) to address the current economic crisis.

Appreciating the presence of the representatives of the political parties present, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday (23) said that those who boycotted the APC would be invited to join the APC process. The President said that their intentions were genuine.

President Rajapaksa chaired the APC held at the President’s House, Colombo. In his brief address, at the commencement of the meeting, the President said that a Prez…

committee comprising members of political parties, could be established to implement useful proposals, after formulating a mechanism to examine all proposals received by the APC. Declaring that he had no intention of making accusations against anyone, the President said he wanted to ascertain the view of other political parties.

President Rajapaksa called the APC following a request made by SLFP leader Maithripala Sirisena, MP, during the SLPP-SLFP talks also held at the Presidential Secretariat, on 08 March.

Emphasising the responsibility on the part of all political parties to work together, President Rajapaksa said that both short-and long-term strategies had to be pursued to overcome the crisis.

Among the political parties present were the UNP, the TNA and the MEP. The SJB and the JVP boycotted the APC. Ven. Atureliye Rathana and Prof. Tissa Vithana represented the 11-party SLPP dissident group. Altogether, 17 political parties, and groups, participated at the APC.

Responding to the political party leaders call for urgent relief for the people, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa assured that relief would be provided before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The Finance Minister said that taking into consideration proposals made by leaders of political parties, he was ready to bring in a new budget, subject to the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Former Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe warned that the country would experience the crisis for a long time. Therefore, relief should be provided to the people, the UNP leader said, while reminding the President and the SLPP that the IMF report on Sri Lanka hadn’t been made available to Parliament yet.

Colombo District MP Wickremesinghe asked FM Rajapaksa to ask the IMF representative here to come to the Presidential Secretariat after the latter claimed the report hadn’t been received yet.