Former SJB Member of Parliament, Dr. Harsha de Silva, pointed out a major contradiction between President Anura Dissanayake’s statements before and after the elections, especially regarding Sri Lanka’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and debt restructuring.
At a press conference held today (05) at the Samagi Jana Sandhanaya headquarters, Dr. de Silva recalled that before the election, Anura Dissanayake had strongly criticized the IMF, arguing that no country had ever resolved its economic crisis by following the IMF’s advice.
Dr. de Silva explained:
“Before the presidential election, there was a big debate about the IMF. During his campaign, President Dissanayake promised not to engage with the IMF, claiming that no country that worked with them ever escaped financial trouble.”
He also highlighted that President Dissanayake voted against IMF policies in Parliament and opposed any changes to the IMF’s rules.
Dr. de Silva emphasized the importance of the Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA), which forms the basis of the IMF’s program and the debt restructuring process. He warned that it cannot be changed, despite the NPP’s previous promises. The NPP had told the public that they would alter the debt sustainability analysis, but Dr. de Silva stated that this was misleading.
“People expected the NPP government to negotiate better terms with the IMF. The NPP also said they would continue the current IMF program for a year and a half. But we always discussed what was realistic and what wasn’t.”
He continued, “There will be no changes to the debt sustainability analysis under the NPP government, and they never even attempted to make any changes. They have fully agreed to the IMF’s conditions. The NPP had announced they would increase public servants’ salaries by January 2025, but this is unlikely to happen.”
Dr. de Silva also referred to President Dissanayake’s projection that Sri Lanka’s debt would be reduced to 95% of GDP by 2032 through the debt sustainability analysis. He argued that this goal was unrealistic and criticized the NPP for making untrue statements.
