Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe admits Sri Lanka’s economic revival will take decades, arguing that a country broken for 76 years cannot be fixed overnight.
Deputy Minister of Industries Chathuranga Abeysinghe has outlined a sobering timeline for Sri Lanka’s recovery, warning that the road to economic revival could stretch as far as thirty-five years. Speaking on Sirasa television, he explained that while a plan for systematic policy reform is already in motion, real transformation will not be immediate.
He likened the economy to a massive ship that has been left in disrepair for decades, noting that such a vessel cannot be turned around instantly. Instead, he argued, a step-by-step approach is required, with gradual policy changes designed to restore stability and lay the foundations for long-term growth.
Abeysinghe stated that the process might take fifteen, twenty, twenty-five or even thirty-five years before Sri Lanka can reach what he described as a true renaissance era. He stressed that although the journey is long, the beginning has already been made and reforms are underway.
According to him, Sri Lanka’s seventy-six years of decline cannot be undone in one or two election cycles. He maintained that patience, discipline and continuity of policy are essential if the nation is to recover. While critics may scoff at the timeline, Abeysinghe argued that acknowledging the depth of the crisis is the first step toward building trust and charting a realistic path forward.
