Manusha says Govt. will take fearless and tough decisions to uplift economy, country and people

Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara on Monday said the Government will uplift the economy, the country and the people in 2024 and that tough decisions will be taken in this regard without any fear under the guidance of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Speaking during the ceremony at the Ministry on 1 January to mark the commencement of work in the New Year, Nanayakkara requested all officials to work with commitment and efficiency to achieve high productivity in 2024 as they did in the previous year.

He said, in the past year, the Ministry officials took steps to perform their duties with commitment and efficiency and as a result, the Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry was able to become the most successful Ministry.

Noting that there was commendable progress last year in all key sectors in the country the Minister expressed confidence that the momentum would continue and the country will achieve greater heights this year.

He pointed out that all Government officials worked hard last year to bring the country to a positive state, following the many crises.

The Minister opined that Sri Lanka has been able to successfully stand up at a time when countries that collapsed economically in the past are still in severe crisis and some countries that received relief from the International Monetary Fund are unable to restore their economies yet, but Sri Lanka has been able to uplift its economy.

The Minister said although there was a risk of hyperinflation in Sri Lanka, the situation has been successfully curbed and inflation brought down to a single digit level. He expressed confidence that even though the economic growth rate of the country has been negative in the past, it would be possible to achieve a rapid and positive growth in the first quarter of this year.

He said the basic foundation to achieve this growth has been laid and the essence is to move accordingly.

The Minister further added that as politicians, he and all those in the Government did not hesitate to put party colours aside and take brave political decisions.

Minister Nanayakkara pointed out that tough decisions were taken on matters sensitive to Government employees and the people, such as, increasing taxes, adding that those decisions had to be taken with the aim of ending the vicious cycle that exists in the country. 

He noted, through these decisions it was possible to end the existing mindset and thus end the political culture of deceiving the people. He acknowledged that some of the tough decisions taken by the current Government tantamount to political suicide, but they had ultimately achieved successful results for the country.

The Minister said due to the decisions taken by the Government, it was possible to stop the country from becoming another Syria or Lebanon, and halted a situation where the American dollar could have risen to Rs.700.

Accordingly, he stressed that the Government will take fearless decisions in the new year as well to further develop the economy and create a better tomorrow for the people.

He  said President Ranil Wickremesinghe has given the necessary power and direction to take decisions to build the country without fear and under that guidance, he will take steps to work for the benefit of everyone with more commitment than before, in 2024.