The United National Party reiterates that the need of the hour is for all political parties to set-aside their party goals and join together for a national cause.
Speaking during a media briefing in Colombo today, National Organizer of the UNP former Minister Sagala Ratnayaka said all factions should unite and resolve the issues faced by the country at present.
Former Minister Sagala Ratnayaka said “this is not the time to engage in politics but a critical juncture where everyone must contribute to save the county from the economic crisis”.
The former Minister noted that there is a huge uncertainty prevailing in the country at present where the public, especially the youth are abandoning the country in large numbers.
He said the country has been dragged back to the 1970 to 1977 era where there were massive shortages and citizens were forced to be in queues to obtain essentials.
Former Minister Sagala Ratnayaka stressed that the current issues faced by the public are due to haphazard economic policies of the incumbent government.
He said the tax cuts introduced as soon as the current government came to power, the fertilizer policy change which led to the food shortage and the reduction in tea and other exports and the forex and monetary policy paved the way to the current economic crisis.
The former Minister said he does not believe the government understands the problems faced by the people at present nor does it have any plans to resolve them.
Former Minister Sagala Ratnayaka said UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has been urging in Parliament for all political parties to unite to save the country first.
He said all parties should put the country first and formulate a set of national policies which should be implemented for at least 15 to 20 years.
The National Organizer noted that without a vision and a leadership to execute the plans, the county cannot overcome the current challenges.
He said the UNP and the current leader former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have a track record of saving the county on multiple occasions from economic crises including when the people faced lengthy power cuts in the year 2000.
He said the UNP Leader has been calling for an all-party conference to formulate a programme for the country, and noted that it is not a move in anticipation of any posts and personal benefits but since it is the duty and the responsibility of public representatives to ease the suffering of the people.
Former Minister Sagala Ratnayaka also said that even the people have taken to the streets without any political backing to voice their displeasure and therefore stressed that the government should promptly take some meaningful steps to resolve the prevailing issues.
He said “in order for any party to engage in politics, there should be a country”.
National Organizer of the UNP former Minister Sagala Ratnayaka therefore emphasized the importance of leaving aside politics for at least a short time and work towards resolving the current critical issues faced by the public and the country.
