2024 Election is Sri Lanka’s Last Chance for Recovery - Ranil

COLOMBO (News 1st); Independent Presidential Candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned that if the country were to face further struggles, it would be nearly impossible to recover from the economic crisis. He emphasized that the 2024 presidential election represents the last chance to rebuild the nation.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe further added"
At the very beginning, I considered quoting a line from a popular song: 'Where do I begin? Where should I start?' This election is about your future, not mine. Our system has broken down; it’s cracked. Our political system had already fractured to the point where no one was willing to take over the government and ensure the economy kept unctioning. We were at risk of losing law and order. If things had deteriorated just a little more, we could have ended up like Bangladesh. That’s how close we were. What does that mean? It means that the leaders at the time were unwilling to take responsibility for your future. When faced with tough decisions, they ran away," he said.

Wickremesinghe said that it was very difficult decision to raise VAT, adding that the alternatives were even worse. 

"And the decision paid off because it helped stabilize the rupee and brought some relief. But there’s still much more to be done. Many people are badly affected. What we’ve done so far is stabilize the situation, but we haven’t entrenched it. What’s stable today could easily change tomorrow if we don’t stick to the agreements necessary for recovery. It will take 5 to 10 years to build a strong economy," said Wickremesinghe.