Sajith questions AKD of pre-election promise on electricity relief

Thursday, 12 June 2025 04:46 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday questioned President Anura Kumara Disanayake over his pre-election promise of delivering relief to the public in terms of electricity charges.

“Before the election, the President vowed to slash every household’s electricity cost by one-third and to rewrite the IMF (International Monetary Fund) clause that keeps pushing prices up. Today, the PUCSL (Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka) confirms a 15% hike to satisfy that very same clause,” Premadasa said in a post on X.

“This leadership claimed to be ‘above politics’ and therefore asked to be trusted. The logic was to clean the system of corruption so these price hikes don’t have to happen. Why not start with the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB)?” queried Premadasa.

He also challenged President Disanayake to explain why the 33% promised cut (in electricity tariff) vanished, and why the IMF terms were never renegotiated.

“How will you stop the next increase? We all know the CEB will never be touched and the hikes will keep coming,” quipped Premadasa.