Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday Nov 15, 2024
Wednesday, 31 August 2022 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday used the interim Budget speech to renew his call for unity among all political parties and people saying it was critical for the country to come out of its worst crisis and achieve equitable socio-economic development.
“We can no longer be a nation dependent on loan assistance. We can also no longer be used as a tool of interference by other countries with strong economies. All of our collective vision should be to make our country strong and stable, in order to stand independently. We should seek to create a disciplined, knowledgeable society that provides right opportunities to maintain social justice,” he said.
“All this can be achieved, only if we work together in unity with common consent,” said the President reiterating the invitation to all the parties represented in this Parliament to join an all-party Government, since “this unprecedented situation is the responsibility of us all, and therefore need to prioritise the necessities of the country and the nation”.
He said some parties say that they will not join an all-party Government due to action by the Government which they cannot condone. Others express a reluctance to join due to their opposition to the policies.
“In this instance, I wish to emphasise that I am not the person who decides the actions or policies of an all-party Government. It is not an administration of a single person or a single party, and will be established according to the consent of all stakeholders of the Government. Therefore, I reiterate that, if there are policies or practices which you do not condone, then you have the right and mandate to change them within an all-party Government,” President emphasised.
He requested all MPs and all the citizens to put aside their personal political goals and unite in the context of the national cause of rebuilding the country and the nation. “If we all come together, we will be able to uplift our Motherland, and create a nation that competes and moves forward with the ever-changing world. If we miss these opportunities, we will be marginalised globally,” warned Wickremesinghe.
The President concluded his interim Budget speech quoting the line of the lyrics ‘Aaji Thapara Lahila’ written by Bandara Eheliyagoda for a teledrama produced for the Mahapola Scholarship Fund - ‘Apa pamanada ekathena karakenne – Apa thanikara lokaya diva yanne’. “So, let’s get together for the country, without spinning in one place anymore. Let’s create a knowledgeable society with a strong economy that can run forward together with the world,” the President stressed.
