News Date 2024/09/09
– President says in Haputale
“Abolishing Line Rooms and Empowering Plantation Communities”
President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced his intention to abolish the line room system, expressing his hope to provide plantation workers with free land rights and the opportunity to live in modern villages equipped with advanced facilities. He made this statement while speaking at the “Ranilta Puluwan” (Ranil Can) victory rally in Haputale earlier yesterday (08).
A large crowd attended the rally, which was organized to support President Wickremesinghe‟s bid for re-election. During his address, the President reflected on the hardships faced by the public during the country‟s crisis, particularly the fear and uncertainty experienced by those standing in queues for fuel, gas, and medicine.He emphasized that he took on the presidency to correct those issues and is now seeking a mandate to continue the reforms initiated over the past two years.
Addressing the victory rally President Wickremesinghe further stated:
“I have long known the areas of Bandarawela, Haputale, and Diyatalawa. Today, I come to Haputale with a clear vision. When I visited in 2022, there were long queues for essential items, no jobs, no electricity, and the people feared for the future of the country. I accepted the responsibility of steering the nation out of crisis, and I madedifficult decisions to ensure the survival of our people.
We initiated the program in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Having previously worked with the IMF, I knew how to navigate the process, which helped ensure the program‟s success.Today, we have strengthened the country‟s economy. Additionally, we have launched a relief program aimed at reducing the cost of living for the people. As the rupee continues to stabilize, we expect further reductions in the prices of goods.
In 2023, the government had sufficient funds, and we introduced the ‘Aswesuma’program to assist low-income families, providing significant benefits that were increased from Rs. 1.8 million to 2.4 million. We are also working to improve the living conditions of elderly residents in line rooms.By 2024, the economy had grown even stronger, allowing us to increase the salaries of government employees and raise the wages of plantation workers. Looking ahead to 2025, we expect further economic growth, and as recommended in the Seneviratne report, we will continue working to further increase government salaries.
We have successfully secured debt relief agreements with the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and 18 creditor nations. This has resulted in $10 billion of debt relief, and the repayment period has been extended until 2043. If we continue to follow these agreements, our economy will strengthen. It‟s now up to the people to decide in this presidential election whether to maintain this progress.
Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake propose to change the current program, but doing so would forfeit these concessions, potentially leading to a decline in the rupee once again. I believe the people of this country are not willing to take that risk. Their promises do not suit the economic needs of the country today.
We have developed a plan to shift our economy towards an export-driven model,similar to countries like Vietnam and Tailand, which will allow us to build a surplus of foreign reserves. We are also focused on raising wages for plantation workers, ending the line room system, and creating plantation villages where residents will receive freeland rights, granting them the same privileges as other village dwellers.
In Bandarawela, we are building a large storage facility to store locally grown fruits and vegetables for distribution or export to Colombo. This is a crucial step forward.
Additionally, we are focusing on expanding the tourism industry in this region to create new job opportunities.We are advancing national development by establishing investment zones and digital centres, and we have not forgotten the importance of supporting women. We have passed the Women Empowerment Act and implemented measures to combat violence against women. Furthermore, we are working to bring more women into the workforce, which will contribute to a stronger economy.On September 21st, I encourage everyone to come forward, cast their vote for the „Gas Cylinder‟, and support the continuation of this program.
Media Division Ranil 24 – ‘Ranilta Puluwan’
