SJB asks govt. to reveal IMF loan conditions

By Saman Indrajith

The SJB yesterday demanded in Parliament that the government reveal the conditions in its agreement with the IMF.

Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the government should not expect the Opposition’s support for the IMF bailout project unless the IMF conditions were revealed to the public.

“The IMF agreement should be debated in Parliament. How could we conduct a debate without knowing the contents of the agreement? Some ministers say that there is no agreement yet. Minister Ali Sabry told the UNHRC that there was an agreement with the IMF. It is said that some creditors, too, have been given copies of this agreement. However, it is hidden from Parliament, which is said to have control over public finance. The Speaker should take action to get this agreement for the MPs. He should maintain Parliament’s dignity. The excuse for hiding this agreement from Parliament is that the draft agreement contains sensitive clauses and we have agreed with the IMF to maintain secrecy.

“It could be recalled that the government acted the same way without informing the House when it ruined this economy. In 2019 there foreign currency reserves to the tune of UD 7,900 million. It was brought down to 20 million US dollars while the Opposition kept raising questions in Parliament and the government continued on without informing it.

“We demand that the Speaker should call on the President and get this agreement to Parliament. We, as MPs, have a right to see this. If you keep hiding this agreement we will have to withdraw our support for the government’s plans.