Opposition presses Govt. to table IMF conditions in Parliament

Wednesday, 7 September 2022 03:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sajith says Opposition can suggest own proposals if contents are revealed
SJB MP Harsha de Silva says Govt. must reveal contents if it expects Opposition support
CBSL Governor claims SL has no practice to reveal IMF programs to Parliament beforehand

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday reiterated the Opposition’s calls for the Government to table the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Staff-Level Agreement in Parliament.

Premadasa said, as the Parliament has authority over public finance the recently approved Staff-Level Agreement should be tabled in Parliament. “It is important for members, and the general public, to understand the contents of the IMF agreement,” he said.

Premadasa noted the Opposition will be able to present its views and proposals if the agreement is tabled allowing for MPs to study it.

Reiterating Premadasa’s remarks, Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance Chairman and Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said the Government must reveal the contents of the IMF deal to Parliament if it expects the Opposition’s support.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Susil Premayajayanta revealed in Parliament that the Staff-Level Agreement has also not been presented to the Cabinet yet.

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), part of the National People’s Power (NPP) party in Parliament have also been calling on the Government to reveal the conditions of the IMF deal in the public interest.

Holding a press conference recently, former JVP parliamentarian Wasantha Samarasinghe said that the President as a lone MP in Parliament had questioned the former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) previously about the IMF conditions during the Government’s preliminary discussions with the organisation.

“But Ranil Wickremesinghe, as the Head of State and the Finance Minister, on the other hand, is not keen on revealing them today,” he said. Samarasinghe stressed that the IMF conditions should be tabled in Parliament and that the world must know what the Sri Lankan Government has agreed to.

However, CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has said Sri Lanka does not have a practice of revealing IMF program details to Parliament or Cabinet prior to implementation.