Sajith Premadasa's election manifesto unveiled : 20 key highlights

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Presidential candidate of the New Democratic Front Sajith Premadasa unveiled his manifesto to the general public today in Kandy. The manifesto titled Sajith's Social revolution was launched at the Queens Hotel. The attendees at the event included the Maha Sangha, religious leaders, leaders of political parties and members of the general public. The manifesto was first presented to the Maha Sangha and religious leaders. The manifesto was then handed over to leaders of political parties. Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa has based his program on 20 points which are: 1. Affordable prices and high life quality 2. Shelter for all 3. Universal preschool for all 4. Universal higher education 5. Universal healthcare 6. Accountable leadership 7. Zero tolerance on drugs and corruption 8. Zero tolerance on religious extremism and violence 9. A tough and smart national security system 10. Dignity for the public sector 11. Government for the people 12. Financial markets 13. Inspiring women 14. Empowering small businesses 15. Empowering the farmer 16. Environment and energy 17. Encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation 18. A market-ready youth population 19. Appreciation of migrant workers 20. Public transport The manifesto also includes the establishment of a court dedicated to drug-related offences and to increase the punishment for such offences. Money laundering will be made an offence under the Bribery Act. Sajith Premadasa assures that war will be waged against religious extremism and a democratic and multi-ethnic society will be developed. His policy states that Sri Lanka needs a new constitution and adds that this should be approved by the people of the country through a referendum. The manifesto proposes that the state sector services be reformed and modernized. The foreign policy will be based on the theme of Sri Lanka First. Sajith Premadasa states that the fundamentals of National Security will be developed and this will be done by experts in the field. He states that a national security council will be established to decide on issues of national security. The manifesto proposes the creation of a new position of a national security advisor. According to the national security policy the state intelligence institutions, the police, the security forces, civil security force, will be modernized along with the fundamentals of national security and adds that the national security budget will be strengthened. The police department will be modernized to respond to an emergency call within 20 minutes. Sajith Premadasa hopes to establish a centralized intelligence network both here in Sri Lanka and overseas. Sajith Premadasa, Presidential Candidate of the New Democratic Front: "I give you an assurance that we will create a country that is sovereign, and protect the territorial integrity and political independence of the nation. We will give prominence to the Buddha Sasana and protect other religions and create a country where sovereignty is vested with the people. We will bring about an era that not only gives prominence to the development of civil, economic and human rights but also, economic, social as well as cultural rights. A just society will be created based on the Dasa Raja Dharma. We will never forget our local roots and culture when working with the international community. Presenting facts under responsible leadership Sajith Premadasa states that he will discontinue the duty-free vehicle permits issued to all 225 members of parliament." The manifesto also states that a multi-party committee will assess the perks and privileges of parliamentarians. He also assures that the salary and pension anomalies of military servicemen will be solved. Sajith Premadasa who announced an array of concessions for small and medium scale businessmen and also states that tax concessions will be given to provide ease in conducting their businesses. Thereby the lower limit on which Value Added Tax is imposed will be increased from Rs 12 million to Rs 50 million per year. It has also been proposed that these businesses should earn an income of Rs 4 million rupees per month to be subject to this tax. Sajith Premadasa also states that a special economic zone will be established in every District. He states that local development banks will be established to provide long term loans for these projects. Sajith Premadasa's manifesto also states that people on the CRIB for defaulting a loan below 1 million rupees before 2019 will be taken off the list for a period of 1 year. He also pledges to reduce indirect taxes to 60% and strengthen direct taxes to establish a just tax scheme. He adds that withholding tax and other taxes will be simplified. The Manifesto also includes a proposal to increase the lower limit on the Payee tax from Rs 100,000 to Rs 150,000. It also proposes a reduction in VAT from 15% to 12.5%. The manifesto states that the age of retirement of both state and private sectors will be increased by 3 years. It also proposes a 300,000 rupee loan to be provided to drivers of rented vehicles and three-wheeler drivers for vocational training. Sajith Premadasa proposed a control price of Rs. 50 per kilo of paddy. He added that agricultural colleges will be established in all plantation districts in the country. The manifesto states that the import of pepper and other low-quality spices that are reexported under the name Sri Lanka spices will be banned. The Main contractors of construction projects will be exempted from the nation-building tax. All citizens above the age of 35 will be given the opportunity to undertake a medical examination for free every year. The allowance for pregnant mothers will be increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000. Sajith Premadasa has presented many programs under the Samata Niwahanak program that will create a society with no housing issues by 2025. He states that safe water will be provided to all households by the year 2025. The manifesto also proposes a 25% allocation to be made for women to enter parliament through the national list and also for a 25% quota to be reserved for women in parliament. Funds will be allocated from the national budget to establish a department of military services. The manifesto also states that poverty will be eradicated through programs like Samurdhi and Jana Saviya, and the number of recipients of the Samurdhi scheme will be increased. Sajith Premadasa, Presidential Candidate of the New Democratic Front: "The main aim of this journey is to make our motherland a prosperous nation. We will implement a proper program that will ensure that the prosperity that we achieve will be distributed fairly among all classes of society. The Economic stability that the country is deprived of due to corruption will be brought back through eradicating fraud and corruption. I lost my father. I understand very well the pain of the families who have lost their loved ones to terrorism. We will develop a new strong mechanism to ensure national security. All of the commanders who defeated terrorism will be directed towards leading the drive to ensure national security and make Sri Lanka a country free from terrorism. Let's unite and create a prosperous nation. Let us move forward together and create a great and united nation. Let's create a country that respects justice. Let's begin the era where the general public will be crowned as kings on the 16th." Victor Ivan, Senior Journalist stated that there are only 14 days left and new debates will occur. He added that there would be a new public discourse by all of the religious sects that are suffering in Sri Lanka before the presidential election and it would push Sri Lanka to a better place.