November 12, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s Opposition has stepped up its scrutiny of the Government’s economic policies ahead of the presentation of the 2027 National Budget, bringing together parliamentarians, academics and economic specialists for a pre-budget consultation on the country’s financial position and policy direction.
The workshop, attended by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, examined several key areas, including the Government’s economic performance, progress in implementing previous Budget commitments, taxation policies, poverty and the country’s ongoing programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Addressing participants, Premadasa accused the Government of failing to provide an accurate picture of the country’s economic situation, alleging that official figures were being presented in a manner that could give the public a misleading impression of the administration’s performance.
He also raised concerns over the Government’s approach to the IMF programme, arguing that the public was bearing a greater tax burden than necessary while receiving insufficient economic relief.
The Opposition Leader called for a reassessment of the existing IMF agreement, insisting that any future economic framework should place the interests and living conditions of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people at the centre of policy decisions.
Premadasa also questioned the effectiveness of the Aswesuma welfare scheme, raising concerns about whether the programme was adequately addressing the financial difficulties faced by vulnerable households.
In a further move to strengthen its monitoring of government performance, the Opposition launched a dedicated online platform, oversight.lk, on 11 November.
The website is intended to serve as a public monitoring mechanism through which the implementation of government Budget commitments and the performance of state institutions can be examined.
According to the Opposition, the platform will provide information on the progress of proposals announced in previous Budgets, the performance of individual ministries, government revenue and expenditure, and audit findings concerning public institutions.
The initiative is intended to improve public access to information on the use of state funds and enable citizens to assess whether government commitments are being translated into measurable results.
The launch comes at a politically significant moment, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake preparing to present the Government’s third National Budget in his capacity as Minister of Finance.
With the country continuing to navigate fiscal pressures, taxation concerns and the conditions attached to its IMF-supported economic programme, the Opposition is seeking to place greater emphasis on accountability, transparency and the practical impact of economic decisions on ordinary households.
The newly introduced platform could also provide an additional channel for the Opposition to challenge the Government’s claims on economic progress by comparing announced commitments with actual implementation and publicly available financial information.