Those who talk about the plight of people on the platforms today fled the economic challenge of those days
In two years, the government managed to reduce the country’s economic pressure.
Let’s unite to reduce the burden of the people and build a better country for the children!
Nationwide to support the President’s plan to build a developed country for future generations
Various women’s organizations in Rithi assured the President!
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said hunger does not discriminate regardless of party affiliation and appealed to all women in Sri Lanka to reduce the burden of the people and help build a country with a strong economy for the next generation.
The President said that no one should forget the sufferings of the mothers of this country who were unable to provide food and send their children to school on that day, adding that the people of this country will never forget that the leaders who talk about patriotism and the sufferings of the people on the platforms today ran away unable to face the challenge.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe mentioned this while addressing the women’s conference held yesterday (09) at the Colombo Sri Lanka Exhibition Hall under the theme ‘Women are our strength’.
The meeting was attended by a large number of heads and representatives of the main women’s organizations, party branch associations across the country, regardless of party affiliation.
Addressing the event, President Ranil Wickremesinghe further commented that despite the difficult economic conditions, he has never neglected to win the rights of women in this country. The President noted that the Women’s Empowerment Act has already been ratified and various measures have been taken to champion women’s rights, including setting up a legal framework to grant women equal rights to men.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe who further commented here,
“Some people ask me why I am contesting the presidential election as a non-party candidate. Hunger is non-partisan. No matter which party one belongs to, the hunger is felt. Filling the stomach without starvation is neutral. Therefore, political parties should put aside their color differences and unite to fill the stomachs of the people of the country. I understand well the sufferings of the people of this country. Without electricity, without fuel, without food, without being able to send your children to school, you all faced great hardship. Do we have to go through this suffering again? We all need to work together to prevent that situation from happening.
I became President only because others ran away from this responsibility. After I assumed office as President, I appealed to Sajith Premadasa and Anurakumara Dissanayake to ‘work together to bring people out of these difficulties’. But they refused. They did not support us to develop the country’s economy.
At that time, I was supported by three women. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva are 3 women.
Those who talked about patriotism and said they knew the sufferings of the people ran away that day. Three foreign women helped develop the country. Without the help of these three, we would not have reached this stage today.
Samantha Power from America supported us when there was no fertilizer in this country. Due to the provision of that fertiliser, the small business was successful and the economy was brought forward. So we have to thank those women.
No one who claims to be great patriots and experienced leaders is responsible for this country. We have come forward as a country with great difficulty. We must go further. Needless to say we all suffered.
Let me mention one example. By 2021, the value of gold products pledged in commercial banks will be Rs 250 billion. Today it has crossed Rs 500 billion. Therefore, we have taken steps to provide relief in this regard. In some households, adults skip a meal. Another section was struggling to provide good education to their children.
We received these reliefs today because of her support when I sought support from the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva. Janet Yellen and Nirmala Sitharaman supported us. Today we were able to move forward strongly. We have signed agreements with the International Monetary Fund and many countries that lend to us. I have included in the Economic Exchange Act the conditions we then complied with. If we continue on this path, we have the potential to rebound as a country.
But some say the agreement with the IMF will be revised.
Those who fled after publicly declaring that they could not solve the country’s problems are today saying that they will remove this relief obtained by women’s support.
We have all come through this journey with great difficulty. Therefore, a decision has to be made whether to lose or preserve this relief. Then, without looking at the face or name and thinking about the future of their children, you have to take that decision.
Even in this difficult journey I have not forgotten the women of this country. Aswesuma, Urumaya and low-income people living in flats, projects like setting up villages in the hills, providing food to school students, etc. Similarly, we have taken steps to empower women.
For that we have passed the Women Empowerment Act. For 20-30 years, struggles for the rights of minorities were going on in this country. We are now trying to resolve them.
Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims should have equal rights. While solving the problems of the minorities in this way, we are working to give equal rights to the women who are the majority in this country.
We have now brought the first law to give these rights to all women, irrespective of whether they are Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim. Also, the law is brought to give equal rights to women as equal to men. Also, it must be said that we have taken many steps to win the rights of women in this country.
To create awareness about this, we will convene a grand conference next year, representing major women’s organizations and women’s organizations at the village level.
We all want a good country. Your children need a better country. Before that, let’s move forward by shedding the burden of life in our homes. I request that we develop the country.” The President also said.
Pavitra Vanniarachchi, Minister of Wildlife, Forest Resources Conservation and Irrigation,
It must be said that today was a very special women’s meeting. Although I have held women’s conferences before, this is the first time in my 32-year political career that I have participated in a multi-party women’s conference. Why are we together today? It doesn’t need conversations, debates, arguments. If we look at the situation in Bangladesh from the television front, it is clear why we came together.
Demonstrators occupied the official residence of Bangladesh’s head of state and parliament. So far more than 20 members of Parliament have been killed. Watching the activities of those protestors on television, it is clear that something similar happened that day in our country too.
Bangladeshi protesters have torched tourist resorts and government buildings. The whole of Bangladesh has gone up in flames.
In this situation, Bangladesh today is looking for a leader like President Ranil Wickremesinghe. We did not face such a situation because this motherland had a leader like President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Also, when the former leader of the country left the country, it was President Ranil Wickremesinghe who established the government and restored the country without letting bloodshed in this motherland. Today, we as women who take the right decisions in the country have united as one family for her success by putting aside party colors.
Geeta Kumarasinghe, Minister of State for Women and Child Affairs,
As the lifeblood of the country, you women have got an opportunity to make important decisions in the upcoming presidential election. Unless that crucial decision is taken, the country cannot be prevented from going backwards. President Ranil Wickremesinghe is the only leader who can take this country forward. We had no gas and no milk for the children that day. When it was said that the economy had gone bankrupt, there was no opposition party to take charge of this country. The opposition went into hiding.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe breathed life into us. For a girl to bear a child, she must be strong. That is why the President gave ration packages for 10 months to empower the women. Only women can make this country stronger and progress the country. Legislation for the protection of women was passed in Parliament under the leadership of the President.
Who planted terrorism in this country since 70s? Who killed the youth and threw them in the sewer? Such people are asking for the power of the country today. We do not want a backward country. Therefore, everyone will unite and make Ranil Wickremesinghe’s victory in the upcoming presidential election not just an ordinary victory, but a great victory, he said.
The event was attended by Prof. Maitri Wickramasinghe and many others including women parliamentarians, former people’s representatives of provincial councils and local government bodies.
Representatives of women’s organizations pledged their full support to President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s plan to stabilize the country’s recovering economy and lead to progress.
