He made this comment while addressing a meeting held at the United National Party (UNP) headquarters in Sirikotha for candidates contesting the local government elections in the Colombo and Kalutara districts from the UNP.
“If the Compass (symbolic name for a rival party) thinks it will win this election, it won’t. They won’t get a majority in many places. We are working to secure that majority and take control. It’s not only us, but other groups will join too. I don’t know about the SJB, but when several groups come together, they will agree. Then, the group with the most members will be appointed as chairman of the local government institution. Our aim now is to get the most members. We must do it without clashing with others. These people can’t win, you all know it,” he said.
“We have the most powerful government internationally after China. We sent a letter, and Trump postponed the presidential tariff for ninety days. Is there another government in the world that can do that? There is no need to listen to such baseless talk.”
Referring to the general election, he said, “They asked for a chance, and the people gave them one. I said not to vote for the L-board (learner) candidates. Instead, they should vote for experienced ones. But people elected the learners. Now the car is off the road. Are there spare parts to fix it?”
Speaking about the recent controversy over his remarks about MP Chamara Sampath, Wickremesinghe said, “I won’t talk about it here. My lawyer is currently abroad. Once he returns, I will set a date.”
Commenting on the President’s speech regarding that matter, Wickremesinghe said, “He hasn’t even read the Anti-Corruption Act. He claims that no one can talk about an ongoing investigation, but that clause doesn’t exist in the Act. Where did he get that from? We’re talking about corruption here. These Acts were passed when I was President. Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa prepared and presented them. We introduced both the Anti-Corruption Act and the Crime Proceeds Act. It was done swiftly. Wijeyadasa is an expert at drafting laws. If you tell him in the morning, he’ll prepare the draft by evening. If the President doesn’t believe me, he should ask him directly.”
He continued, “When we assumed power in 2022, corruption was a major issue. The IMF insisted we pass new laws. We had to introduce the Crime Proceeds Act. The Anti-Corruption Act was passed in 2023. The IMF said they wouldn’t release funds unless that bill was passed. I had to pressure Wijeyadasa to make it happen. We eventually brought it in. But then, we had to face the presidential election and lost. Anura Kumara came to power promising to eradicate corruption. Now, however, that bill is not being implemented. What did they bring in December? An amendment to the local government election law, not the necessary legislation. I was shocked.”
“They said money was hidden in Uganda. Namal said, ‘Bring it if you can.’ But to do that, this law must be in place. Meanwhile, 300 port containers have vanished. Finally, the IMF insisted the law be passed before releasing more funds. Out of fear, they tabled it in Parliament in the first week of April.”
“There’s not much difference between our bill and theirs. Why are they hiding this? We brought the law, and now they say they can file cases. That’s good. But don’t politicize it. The investigations began because Wijeyadasa brought the bill. Now the new Director General is continuing it.”
“These actions were started because of us. Now they’re claiming credit. We took the initiative to eliminate corruption. These people didn’t eliminate corruption—they let 300 containers disappear.”
“When I took over, I solved the debt crisis. I reduced the interest rates on debt. I secured a debt concession worth Rs. 28 billion and extended the repayment period until 2028. When I took office, foreign reserves were at about $6 billion. Now, they are at $6.5 billion.”
“In 2024, our GDP grew by five percent. We turned a bankrupt economy from negative to positive. But according to the Asian Development Bank, growth is expected to decrease to 3.9 percent this year and again in 2026. That’s not enough to repay debt. The Finance Minister and the President must explain this. Let the CID investigate. The government can’t avoid accountability by blaming others.”
“This year, the European Union’s economic growth has also slowed. Sales will decline. And now, after the tariff issue, things will worsen. Fitch Ratings says it’s uncertain whether we’ll be able to settle debts by 2028.”
“The media isn’t covering this. During Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s tenure, everything was discussed openly. Now it’s all silent. The reports are there, but the media is afraid to speak.”
“We allocated funds for reconciliation. After the election, those funds weren’t used. We could have helped another 400,000 people. Now they claim they gave that money. They’re using funds that were already allocated.”
“They reduced electricity tariffs. Now they’ve agreed to increase them. After May 6, there’s going to be a big problem. The funds expected won’t come. They gave income tax relief worth Rs. 90 billion. Yet, there’s no explanation of how that deficit will be covered.”
“The first phase of the Tooth Relic exhibition was good. The President deserves credit for that. But the second phase is still pending. They should apologize for the attack on the Temple of the Tooth in 1989. Then, we can consider reconciliation complete.”
“They’ve now taken tuition to recite Buddham Saranam Gachchami. Learning the precepts is good, even at this age. It’s commendable to take tuition unashamedly. Now they can chant Buddham Saranam, Dhammam Saranam, Sangham Saranam.”
“They’re also teaching ruling party members to recite the Jayamangala Gatha. That’s even better. Next time Parliament opens, they can recite it together. No need to bring outside performers. The leftover tuition money can fill the budget deficit. Let’s talk about the good things too.”
