CNCI congratulates new President with hopes of new life to local industries

Thursday, 21 July 2022 00:57 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

CNCI Chairman Canisius Fernando

Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) Chairman Canisius Fernando yesterday in a statement extended its warmest congratulations to the newly elected President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickramasinghe who created a landmark in Sri Lanka’s political history.

“As Sri Lankans, we all have been experiencing the bitter consequences of the political instability in the country during the past period with pressing hardships to human life in the face of socio-economic crisis,” Fernando said.

With the emergence of an interim Government, everything is gradually becoming novel with the new President, a new Prime Minister and a new Cabinet. The general layman in the country demands only their basic needs to keep their life rolling; such as electricity, gas, fertiliser, medicines with a bearable price for their essentials.

On the other hand, with this refreshing change, the country’s future demands a bundle of reforms to facilitate smooth administrative and management mechanisms of the Government sector including State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and a customer friendly service by the Government entities to boost the industrial sector.

The country’s industrial sector has been struggling to survive whereas many have already collapsed. Being the premier industrial chamber in the country, what we expect is a conducive environment for the industries.

The main issue in the country today is the Forex crisis as the foreign exchange earning sources; mainly the tourism industry, foreign employment income, FDIs and local industries for dollar earning and dollar saving have been terribly dried off by now since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic.

Industries do have a number of issues, including fuel and gas problems, import constraints, clearance issues, high cost of imports, high interest rates, increasing cost of production to weaken the competitive advantage, transport problems for men and materials, delivery issues, dissatisfied work forces due to unsolved needs and futuristic uncertainty.

This is a time that we all should rise as “one country – one nation” and join hands to make our own future without wasting time cursing the past. We have to find immediate solutions to quench the hunger and thirst of the masses, to send the children to school, to keep the workplaces moving and the businesses rolling.

“We are optimistic of the country’s future and would like to extend our best wishes to the newly elected President and the new Government and assure our fullest support and commitment to strengthen their services dedicated to the nation,” CNCI Chairman Fernando added.