Former Minister P. Harrison said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has repeatedly questioned Anura Kumara Dissanayake whether his economic policy is focused on an import-based or export-based economy. However, he did not provide a clear answer to this question.
Harrison said that despite Anura Kumara and Sajith Premadasa claiming to have the best teams, they had failed to address the challenge of rebuilding the country during the economic crisis. Instead, they shunned responsibility and fled during the crisis.
He was addressing a press conference at the President’s political office at Flower Road, Colombo, yesterday (September 14).
Harrison said that President Wickremesinghe had been working hard to develop the country before the election. He started his campaign only about a month ago. In the past two years, he focused on alleviating the suffering of the people in the country. Therefore, the undecided voters should consider supporting the President.
When Sajith Premadasa was invited to take on the role of Prime Minister, I was present at that time. On that occasion, Premadasa’s economic advisors advised him not to accept the position, warning that taking it would lead to severe consequences and end his political career. At that time, Premadasa did not have the strength to face the challenge, he said.
“Premadasa says that he has a good team. Even though his team is considered the most capable, there was no evidence of his team delivering results when it mattered. They avoided facing the challenge of rebuilding the country after it had collapsed. Anura Kumara was nowhere to be found at that time. If Anura Kumara had a good team, they should have taken responsibility during the crisis. However, neither Premadasa nor Anura Kumara had taken on this responsibility. President Wickremesinghe managed the situation as the sole MP.”
Harrision said the President had frequently called upon Anura Kumara Dissanayake to clearly outline his economic strategy. Yet, Anura tends to sidestep the challenge with evasive responses. The President had called for a straightforward declaration on whether their policy is oriented towards imports or exports, but this question remains unanswered.
