Saman Rathnapriya, Director General of the President’s Trade Union, said that “lie masters” like Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa are against the Government’s programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and are obstructing it. He made these comments while speaking at a media briefing held yesterday (02) at Sirikotha, the UNP Party Headquarters.
Rathnapriya also said: “At this moment, the Government is working towards obtaining the second tranche of US$ 300 million from the IMF. Review meetings were held in the month of September in conjunction with this. The issues that cropped up regarding the conditions which were agreed upon with the IMF during those meetings will be subject to discussion in the upcoming three weeks and we believe that we will be able to obtain this second tranche then.
It is possible that the law of the country will have to be changed according to those conditions. We will have to establish various Acts. The Anti-Corruption Act was adopted. The Regulation of Election Expenditure Act was also adopted. Arrangements are being made to renew labour laws. At the same time, expenses have to be reduced and income has to be increased.
“Bans on importing goods were imposed and expenses were reduced. Actions were taken to reduce expenses at organizations to a large extent. A pay-as-you-earn tax was introduced. Changes were made in the legal field. Changes were also made in the field of taxes. Credit optimization was done successfully. Discussions were held with the world about it.
“China, Japan, the Paris Club, and India expressed their agreement. When local debt was being restructured, with funds such as the Employees’ Provident Fund being regulated, Trade Union leaders such as Wasantha Samarasinghe began criticizing it wrongly. The Court confirmed the measures of the Government. Then the Government has the ability to take those actions. Since some people tried to sabotage the programmes, the delays that arose have had an impact on the reviews as well.
“‘Lie masters’ like Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa are against what the Government is doing and trying to obstruct it. Sajith Premadasa has said that the conditions that the IMF require to be fulfilled cannot be done by the Government. He is issuing statements that his Government will take these forward. He is willing but scared. Can a leader who was fearful of taking over a position, at a time when the country was unstable, be able to take a country forward?”
“They are enjoying a very miserable happiness. Credit optimization was done successfully. It is because they think that the country will be deprived of the second tranche from the IMF. If that happens, the country will collapse again. And they are waiting to engage in politics if that happens. They will bring the people out on to the streets and they are awaiting an opportunity to ensure the reality of their political dreams. The people will not be deceived by those things.
“The current President has been given a very special place in world conferences. World leaders listen to him. It is an enormous victory.
“Special attention has been focused on the draft Bill of safety of online methods. It has to be accepted that media freedom is necessary and must be implemented in a legal system with a discipline in the use of the media as well as a world standard. The people of the country should have freedom of speech.
“A person who published gossip as news becomes a journalist within 24 hours. A journalist is created when they obtain a state media identity card subsequent to joining a media institution. After the Easter Sunday attacks, social media provided immense help to create racist riots. Safi’s sterilization kottu, the cobra that appeared from Kelaniya, etc., created serious problems within society through social media.
“Nude photographs of students, naked photos of actors and actresses and scenes where someone is being scolded in an evil manner and various other types of postings are seen on social media. These can create a situation where, regarding the true nature of a certain incident, the situation in the country can be changed completely and depicted. The behaviour has been made into a fashion by issuing purely false propaganda which does no service to the progress of the people of the country and the children of the future. Therefore, the talk that there should be some regulation has become an idea rooted in society. Therefore, the Bill must be presented after discussing with the relevant parties and solving them.”
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