Independent presidential candidate and incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe says that it is not possible to build the country’s economy without a formal plan.

He states that through the strengthening of the rupee by taking tough decisions, they have temporarily addressed the economic crisis.

Speaking at a rally in Eheliyagoda, President Ranil emphasized that they took over the governance of the country with a fearless commitment.

“That day, this group came with me to accept responsibility without fear. We united from various parties. We took over the government and first, we stabilized the rupee. We had to make tough decisions,” said the President.

He stated that although the cost of living in 2023 was high, they had no other option but to act. “If we hadn’t taken these measures, we wouldn’t be in this situation but would have been in a situation similar to that of Greece. From then on, we managed to strengthen the rupee and the economy. In 2023, we were able to provide the ‘Aswesuma’ program which is three times as ‘Samurdhi’.”

In 2024, the government has introduced new subsidies, he said. “It doesn’t end here. There is more work to be done. We will continue to strengthen the economy and increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which will further strengthen the rupee.”

The President stated that he is committed to building on the progress the government has achieved and that it is important to note that results cannot be achieved in just a year or two— and that there are no assurances that the country would not collapse once again. “So, we can move forward only if there is a proper plan,” said Wickremesinghe.