Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) Leader and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the existing agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be revised and entered into a fresh agreement with the IMF under a future SJB party government.
He said this while addressing the May Day celebrations organized by the SJB party to mark the International Labour Day under the theme “Samagi Ratak Anagi Hetak” yesterday in Colombo.
He said that this year’s May Day commemoration is a decisive factor that will determine the future of the country as well as a turning point. Accordingly he emphasized that this year’s World Labor Day celebration will be used as a decisive May Day rally that will give the entire people the opportunity to decide the future of the country.
“This will give 22 million people the opportunity to decide the future of the country. People will have the opportunity to go beyond the politics of promises and lead the country in the right direction,” he added.
The SJB leader stated that he is doing a lot of work for the people of the country by being in the Opposition and said that no political force in the country is capable of doing this kind of work.
“The Samagi Jana Balawegaya is the only party that works without political power,” he stressed. While inviting the people to join the party if they agree with the people-friendly programme of the SJB, he said that a real system change, which is not limited to words, will be carried out under a future SJB government.
Premadasa said that not only the farmer, the worker, but also the professional will have their proper place. Under this, several measures including strengthening democracy, securing the rights of children and women, implementing the National Youth Project, strengthening independent institutions to fight fraud and corruption, and new legislation to fight corruption and fraud will be carried out. Besides, he empathized that many proposals such as the implementation of reforms, the recovery of the money lost due to fraud and corruption will be carried out under a future government of SJB.
Premadasa said that the SJB always engages in principled politics and accordingly, he stressed that SJB will never come forward to protect polluters and fraudsters, and stated that in the past season, no action was taken in Parliament to protect the people involved in drug fraud.
He said that he did not come forward to defend the accused in the Easter attack and that the real accused of the Easter attack will be identified and given proper punishment under a SJB government. He also said that those who worked to protect the accused in the Easter attack will also be punished.
He stated that his aim is to bring the entire country to the pinnacle of development as a “Sleepless country” under a SJB government and pointed out that the programme to create a smart country will start with this.
“Under that, the proper technology is introduced to agriculture. The rights of the working people including the laborer will be protected. It created an environment suitable for investment for both the local and foreign investments. More than 10,000 schools will be converted into “Smart Schools” by creating smart education. 1960 hospitals will be modernised in line with the modernization of the health sector. We always believe in middle path democracy. Making the entire country an IT hub. Increasing the efficiency of government institutions. There will be no room for drug trade, extremism and murderous terrorism in the upcoming government of the SJB,” Premadasa noted.
He also said that he is committed to implementing the 13th Amendment of the constitution.
He highlighted that all newly issued liquor licenses to political henchmen will be cancelled immediately under the SJB government.
Premadasa also said that a formal programme will be prepared to free the people stuck in the micro financial debt trap. He added that the journey to create a friendly country will start with the 100th birth anniversary of late President Ranasinghe Premadasa on July 23.
However it is significant that several SJB frontliners including MPs Thalatha Athukorala and Rajitha Senaratne did not take part in the May Day commemoration yesterday but MPs Prof. G.L. Peiris and Dilan Perera participated in the event.
