Sirisena wants country mobilised to face coming economic war

By Saman Indrajith

Former President Maithripala Sirisena has said that the country needs to win the confidence of the international community and rebuild its relations with its traditional allies to overcome the economic crisis faced by the country.

Addressing a Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) event at Buttala recently, Sirisena said that Sri Lankans were born fighters. However, they must be properly mobilised to face the coming economic war.

“People have been left wondering what has happened. We are in dire straits. Under Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Sri Lanka was on the path to sustainability and self-sufficiency. We had a strong agricultural and industrial base. Despite the setbacks in the 80s, we were at a somewhat stable place when this government took over. However, they created problems. The fertiliser crisis was created by the government. Now, the entire organic agriculture concept has been undermined,” Sirisena said.

The former president said that fuel, gas, cement, medicine and other shortages had crippled the country. The SLFP had launched a countrywide campaign to raise public awareness and empower people.

“The SLFP has an obligation to do something about the crisis. When I was the President, I managed to balance all major international actors. This is not rocket science. We just need to be transparent and have proper strategies. Right now, no country is happy with what we are doing,” he said.

Sirisena said that the SLFP had been urging for an all-party conference since early 2021. Even then, it was obvious that a crisis was on the horizon and the SLFP wanted to protect the citizens from serious economic woes, he said.

“6.9 million people voted for the President. He has 2/3 support in Parliament. However, the questions are only multiplying, and Ministers make various claims that antagonise people. Unlike them, we are coming up with a plan. We are talking to experts,” he said.