Weerawansa says President has no mandate to sell strategic assets

questions role of ex-Governor Coomaraswamy in high interest record borrowings

by Prabath Vithana

The SLPP had received a mandate to implement former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s 2019 election manifesto ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’ and the party had no right to prop up Ranil Wickremesinghe, who wanted to divide the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) into eight parts, Chairman of Uttara Lanka Sabagaya (ULS) MP Wimal Weerawansa said.

Wickremesinghe, propped up by the SLPP, had no mandate to sell strategic assets, Weerawansa said addressing a ULS event in Kegalle.

“India is a big market. However, what investments have they made here? There are some Indian-owned factories that collect scrap iron here and re-export to India, That’s it,” he said. Weerawansa said that among the experts sent to hold discussions with the IMF was former Central Bank Governor, Indrajith Coomaraswamy.

“Everyone says he is a great economist.

However, it was during his tenure as the Central Bank Governor that we borrowed extensively from international bond markets. Didn’t he know that we would not be able to pay back those high interest, short maturity loans?”

Weerawansa said, adding that once those bonds matured, Sri Lanka was in big trouble and then the IMF could come in as a saviour.Wickremesinghe had become the President through palace intrigues and he could not do anything to positively impact the future of the country, he said.

“He couldn’t even get enough votes to become an MP. He was only a National List MP. He was brought in to serve a purpose. Apart from fulfilling that purpose, Wickremesinghe can’t do anything,” he said.