Public being misled that country is being divided owing to political bankruptcy : PM Wickremesinghe

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe speaking at a gathering in Jaffna yesterday (Feb 15) said that the public is being misled that the country is being divided owing to political bankruptcy. 

Mr Wickremesinghe made these remarks during an event held at the Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna where certificates were distributed among 45,000 drought-hit women who were being exempted from their microfinance loans.

During his address Mr Wickremesinghe said that it was the government of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa which had initially put forward proposals to divide the country through the All Party Conference.

“It is the same people who are now claiming that the UNP is attempting to cause a split in the country” said Mr. Wickremesinghe adding that the UNP has not submitted any drafts  or written proposal to that effect.

The Prime Minister during his address emphasised that it is  important to unite as a nation and arrive at a political solution instead of being caught up in false propoganda of the country being divided.

Further, Mr Wickremesinghe said " It is our responsibility  to develop this war-ravaged North. Today,  I came to Jaffna to discuss these issues . Especially at this juncture, we would like to say that we are attempting to resolve the issues in the North quickly and there is no need to be doubtful. The Ministers who came with me will return in three months to assess the progress of these plans. 

Mr Wickremesingher  lauded the Finance Minister's moves to initiate discussions and allocate Rs 1,400 million to exempt these people from their loans since they were severely affected due to the drought.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe noted that the public could now obtain  loans under the Enterprise Sri Lanka concessionary loan programme.

“Several individuals have obtained loans under this scheme to establish small businesses and as a result are earning huge profits,” he pointed out adding that a portion of the interest of these loans was borne by the government.

Speaking further, the Prime Minister said that the people in the North deserve the right to enjoy equal rights in a way that is no different to other people.