The leader of ‘Sarvajana Balaya’, Member of Parliament (MP) Dilith Jayaweera, states that the Sri Lankan Rupee is currently depreciating even faster than during the country’s worst economic collapse.

Speaking at a press conference held today (15), he said the situation has been driven by what he described as an unstructured import–export policy implemented based on external advice rather than a locally formulated economic vision.

He noted that he had previously warned about the expected rise of the US dollar rate and argued that the main issue lies in the lack of a rational trade framework. According to him, vehicles are being imported in US dollars while taxes are collected in rupees, creating a situation where rupees are accumulated domestically while dollars continuously flow out of the country.

He further stated that the rising US dollar has already created a severe economic crisis, with local industries and factories under significant pressure. 

He added that such a rapid depreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee has never been seen even during the most difficult periods of the economic crisis.

Jayaweera warned that if immediate policy decisions are not taken, there will be insufficient time to stabilize the situation. 

He also cautioned that ongoing economic contraction will soon begin to directly affect the public, potentially leading to widespread disruption across civilian systems.