UNP wants Ranil appointed to Economic Council

by Piyasenea Dissanayake

UNP Chairman and former Minister Vajira Abeywardena says his party leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should be included in the National Economic Council, recently appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Addressing the media while taking part in the on-going UNP membership promotion programme, at Dehiwala, on Saturday, the UNP Chairman said the country’s economy was on the verge of collapse and the Economic Council should have as its members experts like Wickremesinghe if it was to serve any purpose.

Abeywardena said the former Premier was capable of handling the economy and would be able to propose ways and means of revolving the current economic crisis.

The UNP promotion campaigns were launched on Saturday in Dehiwala, Ratmalana and Avissawella electorates, Sunethra Ranasinghe, Ruwan Liyanagunawardena and Amal Pussella respectively as electoral organisers.

The UNP Chairman said it was not the time to form a national government but all politicians had to shed their differences and work as one to help save the country and provide relief to the people.

“There is no point in talking about a national government. We learnt a good lesson from forming national governments last time. Some people, in that government, took the credit for all good things and blamed the UNP for what went wrong,” he said, adding that the UNP leader has been Prime Minister five times.

Among those present were Galle Municipal Council Member Jiltih Naishantha, former Minister Ananda Kularatne, Attorney-at-Law Leelananda Dias and former member of the Uva Provincial Council Jayantha Kannangara.