Unconditional SLPP support to Budget 2023 – Prasanna
Chef Government Whip and Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said yesterday that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has decided to extend its unconditional support to the Budget for 2023.
He further said that SLPP has not put any conditions to support President Ranil Wickremsinghe at this crucial time.He emphasized that the current President was appointed with the support of Pohottuwa and therefore, there is a mutual understanding between the two parties because of this reason.
“We have decided to support the budget at this time as the best support that we can give to save the country from the prevailing economic crisis,” he added.
“We accept that the Government has not presented a welfare budget at this time according to the current situation in the country. This is not the time to provide welfare benefits to anyone. It is time to work together to recover the people of the country from the prevailing crisis situation by reducing expenses while increasing income in order to stabilize the economy,” the Minister said.
“In the past, we have either taken loans that have been utilised for the war or to pay compensation to victims of the 88-89 period. Very little allocation has been made to the development of the country. We need to recover the country from this debt. We hope to implement a programme that will strengthen the country economically by discharging it from bankruptcy,” Minister Ranatunga said.
“There are a few people in the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) who are afraid to accept challenges. They thought that they would not be able to face those challenges. They only know to criticize everything.
They do not have a proper programme to free this country from the prevailing crisis. We even did not see any fruitful proposal brought by the Opposition throughout this year’s budget,” the Minister said.