President tells people to expect many unpopular decisions

Many unpopular decisions will have to be taken for Sri Lanka to overcome the global economic challenges and to keep the country on the path to prosperity, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said yesterday (26).

Although people criticized such decisions, the country and the people would reap the benefits in the near future, he told the 24th Presidential Export Awards ceremony at the BMICH, Colombo.

He urged the people to recognise and understand that these measures are being imposed “because we have little other choices in our present situation.”

A total of 63 outstanding export companies received awards for the financial years 2019/20 and 2020/21.

President Rajapaksa appreciated the commitment and the courage of exporters that they had to remain in the export sector in the face of COVID-19 epidemic.

“Several policy interventions, however, such as the restrictions on certain imports in place since last year, have had beneficial consequences. They have created space for new local industries to develop. It is essential that these new industries are fostered intelligently,” he said.

“Instead of short-term profiteering through reducing quality and creating artificial shortages, these new industries should strive to create quality products that could become globally competitive. This will be to everybody’s benefit,” the President added.

Assuring the issues in the export sector would be resolved expeditiously, the president said the government and the private sector should work hand in hand to achieve the goals of the export sector.