‘We are not going to play any politics’ – Sagala

Chief of Presidential Staff and Senior Adviser on National Security to the President Sagala Ratnayake has assured that the current government’s priority to ‘set the country right’, and not ‘play politics’.

Attending an event organized by the Young Professionals Organization (YPO) in Colombo recently, Ratnayake said “We are focused. We are not going to play any politics. We want to set the country right. We want to deliver. People in this country deserve it”. 

“Many individuals like to see the country collapse as they will not have any political opportunities if it succeeds”, he continued, adding that the while the youth employed abroad could contribute to Sri Lanka’s economy, it cannot be the government’s policy.
 
 “The youth need a future. We can’t have all of them going overseas.” he said in this regard.

Thus, in a bid to secure a future for the youth within the country, he stressed the need for a robust manufacturing industry, bolstered by education, a thriving tourism sector, and support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Speaking with regards to welfare benefit schemes, Ratnayake ensured that the government will give the said benefits to those most deserving, given that they are paid with tax money.

The government only needs to implement the growth agenda and reforms properly while making sure to ward off evil for the country to have a better future, he added.

Meanwhile, addressing misinformation surrounding the Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) programme, the Chief of Presidential Staff stated that despite claims made by certain parties that the banking system would collapse following the implementation of the DDO strategy, that the government was planning to seize all of the deposits, and the EPF capital would be taken over, nothing of the sort happened.

“No bank collapsed, in fact the banks have become stronger and the EPF is still available in totality”, he said.

He further said that the interest rate would not fall below the level that the EPF fund had been receiving up to now, and that the government would step in to ensure that the specified percentage was delivered if it did and this was the purpose of the DDO.

“So don’t let the evil people, the politically minded people, derail this program. You should all stand together. You help those who find it difficult to understand and may have the tendency to go believe the stories that are being told instead of understanding the real story, so that the country can go this path and have a future for its younger generation. We want you to take this message around because you can deliver it to other professionals who in turn can take it to the people in general”, he said.