PM vows to fight corruption, strengthen economy, develop the country

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday vowed to fight corruption, strengthen the economy, and develop the nation into a high income country by 2020.

Addressing a massive crowd at the United National Party’s May Day rally held in Campbell Park, in Colombo Sunday, the Prime Minister said the Government was committed to strengthening the island’s economy and bringing down the high cost of living.

He said the Government was determined to seek assistance from the international community to develop the country and take adequate measures to double the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Sri Lanka by 2020.

He said that the Government would present a new developed nation by 2020 and had already launched a megapolis development program which would transform the capital and its suburbs.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe assured that the Government would not privatise State-Owned Enterprises. He said the Government would create an independent fund to manage all profits made by State-Owned Enterprises. “We will work towards getting these profits back to the people. We will not privatise any state enterprise,” he said.

The UNP Leader said the Government’s main goal was to deliver on the promise of creating one million jobs and that the Government was working towards a fairer pay model for all workers by 2020.

“We will turn this country into a high income one, decrease debt and double the per capita income by 2020,” said the Prime Minister.

The PM also vowed not to increase taxes on essential items during the process. He added that the Government would exempt all essential items from the proposed VAT increase while collecting revenue to pay a debt of Rs. 1 trillion.

Highlighting the achievements of the Government, the PM said the Government reduced the prices, reduced the price of oil, increased salaries of state workers, built roads without commissions, turned the Port City project from a casino to a business hub, started the Megapolis project, started projects to industrialise the Western and Wayamba Provinces and make Kandy a much bigger city.

“The UNP does not talk, it acts,” the Prime Minister said.

He said now is the time to give the benefits back to the public who made sacrifices, and it is time to work for the development and the shortest way to ensure development is to convert the whole Parliament into a Government.

The Prime Minister explained that the UNP formed the Constitutional Council in Parliament, a National Government and got into agreements with various other parties in order to speed up the development process.

“We will bring this country forward, but first we have to remove explosive mines that were planted during the Rajapaksa regime,” the PM said, adding that today’s UNP rally, which drew a massive crowd would give a good message to the “cardboard-heroes” here and media organisation that back them.

“The UNP is a party which accommodates all but it is no place for cardboard Dutugemunus,” the Prime Minister said. “There will be no room for family rule in this island nation as long as the UNP in power,” he added.

Pix by Shehan Gunasekara