Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday in Parliament alleged that the Government has failed to get a more favourable deal in the overall external debt restructuring (EDR) exercise.

Speaking after the special address by President Wickremesinghe, the leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) also charged that there was no comparability or transparency for domestic bondholders especially the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) of the working class.

Premadasa expressed disappointment over the failure of President Wickremesinghe to table agreements signed with official bilateral creditors despite assuring to do so last week. The SJB leader said the failure means there is no agreement or the Government is fighting shy to make it public.

Contrary to claims by Wickremesinghe of swift finalisation, SJB Leader revealed that countries such as Ghana and Ecuador restructured faster and got more favourable deals purely because their Finance Minister spoke directly to creditors, something which Wickremesinghe failed despite unprecedented foreign trips during the past 18 months.

President puts onus of EDR final deal on IMF

Official EDR: No haircut but  grace period, low interest rates