Govt’s unrealistic promises will lead to downfall of the nation: Wajira

By Yohan Perera   

The government’s action of giving unrealistic promises and  working against the framework provided by 15 legislations, which were  enacted by the previous regime, will lead to the downfall of the nation,  United National Party (UNP) Chairman Wajira Abeywardena said yesterday.   

“Around 15 legislations, such as the Economic Transformation  Act, Public Debt Management Bill and the Central Bank Amendment Bill, were enacted by the last regime. This legislation provides a framework  for sound governance. One cannot afford to come up with various  attractive promises if you are to follow the said framework. The present  regime seemed to be working outside the given framework. This will lead  to a disaster. This is why the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said  Sri Lanka’s economic growth will go down to 3.4 per cent in 2026  compared to 3.9 per cent in 2025,” Mr. Abeywardena told Daily Mirror.   

“The Price of a coconut has increased from Rs 250 to Rs  300. The price of a coconut only fluctuated from Rs 70 to Rs 100 during the last seven decades. The government attribute this to monkeys. It is not the  case. In addition, a three-wheeler, which was Rs 700,000 earlier, has  gone up to Rs 2 million today. Prices of these items have increased due  to mismanagement of the economy,” he said.