President must resign and credible Govt. formed for country’s to progress: Harsha

SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva 

By Darshana Abayasingha 

SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva says 5 million families in Sri Lanka are suffering due to the actions of one family, and stated that President Rajapaksa must admit that every decision he has taken thus far as the leader has failed. 

De Silva remarked that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has lost the support of the public at large and called on him once again to step down and make way for an all-party Government to steer the country out of its current crisis. 

The SJB MP pointed out it is the responsibility of all political parties to work together to devise reasonable and lasting solutions to the crisis, and stressed the need to establish a cohesive all-party Government following the resignation of the President. 

De Silva also touched on the violence incidents that have broken out at several filling stations around the island, and called on the Police to act with responsibility and restraint at a time the public is burdened with immense hardships. 

“There are times the army has been forced to fire into the air to control the situation. This shows that the situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly. We need to arrest this decline, and the setup of a credible all-party Government is one pivotal step in that direction. This is why we implore the President to please step down before the country falls even deeper into an abyss.”

De Silva spoke of the meeting himself and MP Eran Wickremaratne attended with the Prime Minister and Treasury officials. He noted that despite stressing on the need to cur State expenditure, this would be a  difficult task as State sector salaries, pensions and debt servicing costs was far larger than income. 

Sri Lanka must fast become an export economy to overcome this issue, De Silva stressed. He added that whilst other nations have developed and diversified their export segments infusing and including technology, Sri Lanka has remained focused  on garments and built a wall around its industries. 

De Silva noted that if the country›s leadership is not accepted by its public, it will certainly not be accepted internationally which therein impacts the support the country will receive.