Cabraal’s remark irks Ranil

By Sanath Nanayakkare

A remark Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal made, opening the All-Party Conference (APC), chaired by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday, irked former Prime Minister and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Cabraal, having criticised the previous government’s economic and fiscal policies said,” Sri Lanka’s economy has entered a crucial phase by now. The decisions we take in the coming weeks and months will have far-reaching effects on the country and the people in the long term. In this context, it would be appreciable if the political leaders can put their political ideologies aside and contribute towards resolving the economic crisis without trying to score political mileage. If all political parties can work together to stabilise the economy, it would be a great service done by them for the country. The coming together of the political party leaders today to discuss the economic challenges can be identified as a great triumph for the country. If we work together, I believe that we can resolve the issues on a sustainable basis before long.”

Wickremasinghe replied saying, “I’d like the President to clarify a point. You have convened this APC as per the request of the SLFP. Minister Nimal Siripala asked me to participate in this conference at least for old friendship’s sake. We have come here to discuss the serious economic issues in the country and find solutions for them. We didn’t come to talk about who is responsible for this situation as the Central Bank Governor was trying to paint it all as the fault of the previous administration. During that period, people were able to feed themselves and buy essential commodities including fuel. I don’t want to go there. But what if I responded to each accusation made by the CB Governor about the economic policies between 2015 and 2019? Then it would lead to another response and another and another and the timeline of the crisis could run into the times of Sri Lanka’s first recorded king Vijaya. Then we would have to surmise that we wouldn’t be in this situation if King Vijaya hadn’t arrived in Sri Lanka.

“The Central Bank Governor identified the proceedings of the APC as ‘triumphant’. I didn’t come to participate in the APC to defeat any section of the Opposition that is not why I’m here today. I came expecting to have a meaningful takeaway from the conference and share it with others and get their support as well to work together at this critical juncture. So let’s discuss the challenges without going there.”

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa apologised to Wickremasinghe saying that the APC had been convened with the objective of working together to solve the economic crisis and Cabraal’s comments were not meant to accuse anyone.