Opposition Leader churns Prime Minister for ‘misleading statements’ in Tokyo

[July 3, 2003 - 10.30 GMT] 

Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse wrote to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe recently on ‘certain statements which have the potential to mislead our country’s friends abroad’ in the Premier’s opening statement to the Tokyo Aid Conference held in June this year.

In his three paged letter Rajapakse takes the Prime Minister to task for saying he seeks to ‘consult the President as widely as possible’, whereas “the reality is that there has been no prior consultation whatsoever with the President with regard to the peace process. There have only been a few briefings on events which have already been published in the press”.

He further challenged the PM’s claim that the Government had to “rebuild an economy which was on its knees”. Quoting from the World Bank report on Sri Lanka in 2000 Rajapakse says, “Despite the acceleration of the civil conflict in the 1990’s economic growth has been healthy due to good macro economic management and progress in trade liberalization, privatization and financial sector reform…its [Sri Lanka] per capita income of (US$ 820) remains the highest in the region after Maldives. Unemployment and inflation have fallen to historical lows, the external current affairs account has been strengthened, exports have diversified and expanded and foreign direct investment has risen…the most open economy in South Asia with a per capita income of US$ 820 in 2000 is hardly on its knees”.

Rajapakse further states, “ It is indeed appropriate that you state ‘political promises always outweigh the ability to deliver’. I note that according to the correspondence between you and the LTTE, the promise of an interim administration exclusively to the LTTE and outside the parameters of the laws of the land, seems to have been the key election promise on which you are now unable to deliver”.

However the Opposition Leader welcomed the Premier’s declaration that “a Muslim delegation should participate in the peace talks to articulate the concerns of the Muslims”.

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Last Updated Date: July 03, 2003  - 10.30 GMT.