Chief of Presidential Staff and Senior Adviser on National Security to the President Sagala Ratnayake stated that the government is not going to play any politics but to set the country right.
Many individuals like to see the country collapse as they will not have any political opportunities if it succeeds, he continued.
“We are focused. We are not going to play any politics. We want to set the country right. We want to deliver. People in this country deserve it.” Mr. Sagala Ratnayake said.
“The youth need a future. We can't have all of them going overseas.” he added.
The youth employed abroad could contribute to the economy of the nation, but it cannot be the government's policy. To secure a future for the youth within the country, he stressed the need for a robust manufacturing industry, bolstered by education, a thriving tourism sector, and support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr. Ratnayake expressed these views while attending an event organized by the Young Professionals Organization (YPO) in Colombo recently.
Furthermore, he highlighted that since welfare benefits are paid with tax money, the government will ensure that they are given to those who truly deserve them.
The government only needs to implement the growth agenda and reforms properly while making sure to ward off evil for the country to have a better future, he added.
Addressing misinformation surrounding the DDO program, Mr. Sagala Ratnayake mentioned that some evil people claimed that the banks will collapse with the DDO (Domestic Debt Optimization), the government was planning to seize all of the deposits, and the EPF capital would be taken over, but nothing of the sort happened; no bank collapsed, in fact the banks have become stronger and the EPF is still available in totality.
He further said that the interest rate would not fall below the level that the EPF fund had been receiving up to now, and that the government would step in to ensure that the specified percentage was delivered if it did and this was the purpose of the DDO.
“So don't let the evil people, the politically minded people, derail this program. You should all stand together. You help those who find it difficult to understand and may have the tendency to go believe the stories that are being told instead of understanding the real story, so that the country can go this path and have a future for its younger generation. We want you to take this message around because you can deliver it to other professionals who in turn can take it to the people in general.”
President’s Media Division