President Ranil Wickramasinghe stated in the Parliament today (10) that it is not possible to present the agreement with the International Monetary Fund to the Parliament until the final agreement is reached regarding the matters that are at the negotiation stage.
The President also said that the International Monetary Fund has requested that it not be made public until the related discussions are over. Lakshman Kiriella, the chief organizer of the Samagi Jana Balawega opposition party, revealed this when he asked the president whether he would present the IMF agreement to the parliament before the budget.
Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe pointed out that the budget is prepared in relation to the IMF agreement, and accordingly it should be decided whether the people will be taxed more or indirectly or going to direct taxation or controlling the government spending.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe said that he hopes to conclude the negotiations related to the IMF agreement with China and India in November, and said that it will be decided whether the agreement will be changed or not changed at the end of the ongoing negotiations regarding certain amendments requested by the government in relation to the agreement.
Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe said here that he recently had the opportunity to meet the IMF Managing Director and the President of the World Bank to discuss the situation in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the President expressed confidence that there is optimistic hope.