President Wickremesinghe bids farewell, praises people’s mandate for President-elect Anura Dissanayake

In a heartfelt final address to the nation yesterday, President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his gratitude to the people of Sri Lanka for the mandate given during the 21st Presidential election. 

Acknowledging the will of the electorate, he announced that the leadership would now transition to President-elect Anura Dissanayake.

“I extend my sincere thanks to all those who supported me during my tenure,” Wickremesinghe stated. Reflecting on his time in office, he likened his role to guiding “the beloved child of Sri Lanka” across significant challenges symbolised by a “vine bridge,” and expressed confidence that President-elect Dissanayake would continue this journey successfully.

Wickremesinghe extended his best wishes to President-elect Dissanayake. “President, here I hand over to you, with much love, the dear child called Sri Lanka, whom we both love very dearly. I hope that you will be able to carry this child to safety even better than I did.”

Emphasising the importance of respecting the people’s decision, Wickremesinghe said, “The people of the country have given their decision at this Presidential election held on 21 September 2024. We must respect their decision and act according to that mandate to ensure the functioning of the country.”

Wickremesinghe recalled his decision to take over leadership two years ago when the country was in the midst of the worst economic crisis post-independence. 

“I took over a bankrupt country and a collapsed economy at an extremely turbulent time. I accepted the challenge when no one else had the courage to face it. I successfully completed the responsibility that history put upon my shoulders.”

He also reflected on his achievements, and highlighted his efforts in stabilising the economy. “When I took office, inflation was at 70%. I was able to bring it down to 0.5% during my Presidency. I increased the foreign reserves from $ 20 million to $ 5.7 billion and strengthened the Sri Lankan rupee, which improved from 380 to 300 against the US Dollar. Economic growth, which was at negative 7.3%, was elevated to positive 2.3%,” he elaborated.

The outgoing President expressed his hope that future generations would acknowledge his contributions and reiterated his commitment to serving the country. “I believe that the future generation of the country will give the proper assessment for my historical political role, the way it deserves,” he said.

Wickremesinghe in his address pledged to continue serving the nation in any capacity, with or without power. “I will be devoted to serving my motherland with or without a post or powers, for the rest of my life. I wish to thank everyone who supported me, who did not support me and all the citizens of the country during my time as President,” he said.