Colombo (LNW): Not many countries in the world could have recovered the way Sri Lanka has in a year after declaring bankruptcy. The recovery was fast and swift. President Ranil Wickramasinghe did a miracle with a handful of people.
Sri Lanka was at its absolute rock bottom last year with inflation at over 70% and heading into hyperinflation. Market interest rates were around 30% and there was a fear of food shortages last year. Venezuela and Libya was what was in store for Sri Lanka.
Leadership averted the destruction and the big fall. We are definitely not out of the woods, but compared to last year, the economy has been stabilized. Inflation is expected to hit single digits soon, the Central Bank cut policy rates by 200 basis points earlier this month and another cut is expected soon.
Now the SLPP MPs run around as though nothing really happened. Some even have the audacity to insult the President by having press conferences. They demand portfolios and want to run the government according to their agenda. Forgetting how they destroyed a nation.
The SLPP Brought down the country to its knees. No question about it. Dilum Amunugame then a cabinet minister wanted Gotabaya Rajapakse to be a Hitler. He was crucified publicly. Now he has become a minister. Seen signing agreements smiling to the TV. Ali Sabry PC.
Claimed they brought the next Lee Kuwan. Now he is the foreign minister. Going round the globe. Some SLPP MPs have aligned very well with the President. They are riding the wave promoting themselves well. Like Shehan Semasinghe, Ranjith Siyabalapitiya, Tharaka Balasuriya , Nimal Lansa , Ali Sabry PC, Banduala Gunawardana and many more silently.
Nimal Siripala and a few more stand beside him like a rock. The President has captured the imagination of many MPs from both the Government and opposition. Some opposition MPs are harassing him to take them into the government. The President should strengthen himself by taking all those who want to support the recovery.
They very well know he is the only man who can deliver in this economic crisis. The entire country saw him perform in France and Japan. The ease in which he interacted with the King of England and the commonwealth. Unfortunately the SLPP MPs have forgotten they were the most detestable set of people one year ago.
The entire country wanted the 225 MPs thrown out. They made an attempt to take over parliament. Now they have come out of the ashes. Now they want their piece of flesh. The President risked his life and lost everything in his private ancestral house. What more does he have to sacrifice?
However the importance of speedy structural reforms to ensure the country never goes bankrupt again with a leader like Gotabaya Rajapakse and set of clowns in parliament must be averted at any cost. It is finally the public that pays for the excesses and abuse by the ruling class -the parliamentarians.
How these SLPP MPs have forgotten that their Economic mismanagement by their government resulted in the 2019 economic crisis confirms the theory that less than 5% of our MPs have passed their Ordinary Levels. The President should not get distracted. He must stay on course. If it become ungovernable due to petty SLPP politics, He should dissolve parliament and let the country appoint a decent set of new parliamentarians.
Adolf
