PM downplays disagreements within Govt.

• Acknowledges problems part of governing but insists focus remains on development 
• Outlines plans to roll out village-level development over next 18 months 
• Expresses confidence that issues can be ironed out through discussions

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday downplayed any disagreement within the coalition Government, insisting that his focus remained on developing the country. 

Wickremesinghe, speaking at an event to handover appointment letters to 1650 “Grama Niladaris”, highlighted the efforts of the Government to improve economic growth and insisted that in politics, disagreements are normal but that he and his party would not be distracted by them. 

“In politics, it is normal to come across problems. Our special attention will be paid to how to resolve these issues. Our priority and the focus of this Government are on how to rapidly develop the country. We will dedicate our entire time to this endeavour.  I recently advised our ministers not to get bogged down in projects but to focus on policies that would result in overall development at the grassroot level.”

The Prime Minister said that in the next 18 months, the Government will focus on sweeping development at the village level, and called on the Grama Niladaris to support the process as they are the State’s representatives at that level. 

“The people voted us into power to develop the country. We must meet these expectations and that will be our priority for the next 18 months. I give you my assurance that all the necessary funds, resources and infrastructure will be provided to achieve the goals we have set out. The Internal Affairs Development Ministry is at the centre of these efforts, and they will be establishing new provincial secretariats and divisional secretariats to take this work forward,” he added. 

Wickremesinghe pointed out that, in the first two years, the Government concentrated on stabilising the macro economy and balancing out the country’s significant debt burden. Nonetheless, despite liquidity constraints, the Government had continued to allocate funds for public welfare projects including healthcare, housing, education and weather-related disasters. These efforts would now be expanded to include sustainable development goals, employment and entrepreneurship policies of the Government. 

Establishment of new investment zones, infrastructure development and polices to take factories to the provinces were a crucial aspect of these roles, he said. Wickremesinghe also noted that key sectors of tourism, agriculture, and exports-led manufacturing would get additional attention under these policies.