Speaking before his new cabinet members, Sri Lanka’s President was forced to admit that his ban on chemical fertilisers and refusal to turn to the International Monetary Fund were mistakes but refused to abdicate his position.
“I believe that we should have gone for a program with the International Monetary Fund earlier. Also, I think the decision not to provide chemical fertilisers to farmers was an error. We have taken steps to revive that practice. Today, people are under immense pressure due to this economic crisis. I deeply regret this situation” the President stated.
His statements come amidst Sri Lanka’s worst financial crisis since independence and widespread protests demanding his resignation. Despite the widespread outcry against the forced ban of chemical fertilisers, and warnings of food shortages, President Rajapaksa consistently defended the policy claiming that criticism came from chemical fertiliser lobby groups and farmers that had “grown accustomed to overusing fertilizer as an easy means of increasing yields”.
In his address he detailed the economic situation stating:
“We have already informed the creditors of our difficulty in repaying short-term foreign loans and a debt restructuring programme has commenced. My newly appointed Economic Management Team has already begun discussions with our friendly countries, and international institutions such as the IMF, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank”. He further added that he hoped to obtain fuel and limit power cuts to two hours.
In refusing to meet the protesters’ demands to resign he claimed:
“It is my responsibility as the people-elected President to manage the present challenges and difficulties. I promise the people who have elected me, I will not abdicate that responsibility in the midst of any difficulty or challenge”.
He further alleged that he never stole funds from people and claimed that his hands are always clean. This claim stands in stark contrast to the detailed reporting of the corruption rife within the Rajapaksa family.
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In addressing the protesters, he claimed to support their right to protest but provided a stern warning against taking a “violent path”. Whilst the President insisted that he permitted democratic protests throughout the past two years, he stands accused of organising white van abductions against his critics and the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) has documented over 15 cases of torture against mostly Tamils since he came into office.
The ITJP stress that this is “just the tip of the iceberg”.
Commenting on the Constitution, Rajapaksa stated:
“The legislative power of the country lies with the Parliament. Therefore, there is an opportunity to discuss in Parliament the views expressed by various political parties on the upcoming changes in the Constitution and to approve the necessary amendments. I am ready to extend my full support to Parliament at any time in this regard. Accordingly, I pledge to respect the supreme Constitution of the country and to make necessary changes in the future and to salvage the country from this crisis”.
This follows talks with his previous coalition partners, the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP), who have maintained the need to reimplement the 19th Amendment at the expense of the 20th. This would decentralise power away from the executive presidency.
Read his full speech here.