President Ranil Wickramasinghe says that he was able to restore the country to a normal state within a period of five and a half months.
He said today that even though all the economic problems of the country have not been solved, the necessary supplies have been made in regard to essential matters while addressing the civil servants, including the office workers, after starting work in the new year from the premises of the Presidential Secretariat located in Galle Face.
The President’s statement to the officials working in the President’s Office is given below.
“I wish you all a very Happy New Year.
Five and a half months ago, we took over a historic amount of work from this office. We took steps to bring a normal situation during those five and a half months when the government and the economy collapsed. We have not solved all our economic problems. But today we have an opportunity to provide the required amount of fuel, food, and fertilizer. Therefore, I would like to thank you all for the work you have done during these five and a half months. But our program does not end here.
The year 2023 will be the most important year. We have to get out of our debt trap and restructure our debt and move forward. Because of our economic collapse, we have to create an economy in which we can compete with the world and live a new life. There is also a majority opinion that we need a change in the political system of our country. We have to prove both of these. We have work to do to make these successful. We have to come up with a new system that can solve the problems of the political mechanism of today’s regime. That’s the work for this year. So, more than last year, everyone has to come together and act together.
We look at this government as a machine. They are not divided into many machines, according to ministries. A ministry is a part of this one machine. Therefore, there can be no competition between those parts. There can be no tug of war. You cannot limit your responsibility. Everyone else is bound by the basic policy series of the country. The center of this will be the President’s Office which is this and the Cabinet Office as well as the Prime Minister’s Office. This is where we move forward.
So I would like to say one thing. Your work is not limited to 8 hours a day. Your work is not limited to 5 days a week. Everyone in this place is dedicated to working. By the end of 2023, I hope to bring this country forward with the support of all of you, waiting for a normal situation in this country. Thank you all.”
A few months ago, this land was full of a people’s struggle against the government. It was taken over by the people, and the cabinet, including the former president and the former prime minister resigned due to the impact of this people’s struggle.
