World Bank to allocate highest amount ever for Sri Lanka – President

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that now, every country and international organisation is aware of our Government’s plans.The World Bank has agreed to allocate the highest amount ever for Sri Lanka next year.

Addressing a meeting held in Galgamuwa on Saturday (1) he further stressed, “The people should fear the law. When criminals roam free, there is no fear of the law. For a country to progress, people must respect and fear the law. Politicians do not fear the law. We will transform this country into one that respects the law. An uncivilised country cannot develop. An uncivilised country has no future.There are Police officers who work tirelessly for the law of the country. We will change the system where to get a promotion, you have to salute politicians.”

He further said, “We are in discussions with the Asian Development Bank.The World Bank has agreed to allocate the highest amount ever for Sri Lanka next year. They all acknowledge that, for the first time, Sri Lanka has established a corruption-free administration.Today, investors trust a Government that is free from corruption and theft. We have created the best opportunities to win international relations.”

“Now, the country has some dollars.There is no gas shortage, no oil shortage. However, the economy is not fully recovered. We cannot rebuild this country in two months. We must implement a systematic plan to rebuild this country. We suffered two years ago. We are building this country so that our children will never face such a fate again.”

“We were officially a bankrupt country. We had become a country that could not repay its debts. As a result, many foreign projects were halted midway.Our country cannot move forward with bankruptcy. Therefore, we renegotiated our agreements with the International Monetary Fund. We reached an agreement with the countries and international financial institutions from which we had borrowed. We will not stay without repaying the loans we have taken. We have been given time until 2028 to start repaying these loans. They also agreed to cut a portion of the loans given to us. With this process, we have become a country free from bankruptcy from December 21st 2024. Now, we are not a country that does not repay loans; we are a country that has agreed to repay loans starting from 2028.”

“We then held discussions with the Japanese Government.They agreed to restart all 11 projects that were halted midway. Similarly, we reached an agreement with China to restart 76 ongoing and new projects. We also managed to keep the dollar close to 300 rupees.”

“For many years, we have not imported vehicles into our country. From today, we have allowed the import of vehicles for personal use.This is a very difficult and cautious task. Because we do not have a large amount of dollars. We have not imported vehicles for about five years. If everyone waiting imports vehicles, our dollar reserves will start to deplete. Therefore, we have carried out these activities very carefully. In this way, we are making significant changes in the economy.”

“We were heavily criticized for not having international relations. Shortly after the parliamentary elections, we went to India. We reached many agreements with the Indian Government, which have provided Sri Lanka with many economic benefits.”

“Today, every country and international organisation is aware of our Government. We have not stopped there. We have provided relief to the public. We increased pensions. We have taken steps to streamline the unemployment programme. We provide assistance to the groups that need it.”

“There is no proper plan to get containers out of the port. Although India is large, it does not bring that many containers to the port. Because no solutions were given to the problem of the Colombo port in time, we are starting a project in the Bloemendhal area. We are building a large yard in Kerawalapitiya. Governments need to prepare such plans. By 2030, we plan to bring in 1.1 million containers. We cannot bring in more containers without managing the current ones. The passport issue is similar. We are ending the era of just managing the country. We look after public property like monastic property.”

“We do not steal a single cent. We only asked former Presidents to make some sacrifices. Last year, 700 million rupees were spent on the security of one President alone. 60 million rupees per month. Is it necessary to bear these costs? Today, there is no conflict situation in the country. Spending 700 million rupees only on security is not justified. When security is reduced, they say it is for revenge. Stop wasting public money at least now. We are a poor, small country. There are people in the country who cannot afford a proper meal. But it is not necessary to maintain such leaders.”

“Within the next five years, we will transform this country into one where everyone can live freely. We will present our own budget document February 17. Considering the current economic situation, we will present the best budget document ever. We are grateful for the support you have given to make all this possible.”

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