We can’t come out from the existing IMF programme - Anura Kumara

Protesters blamed Rajapaksa for an economic collapse that resulted in severe shortage of essentials such as fuel, cooking gas, medicines and food.

“The people of our country have a great expectation for a change”.“They wanted a change and we are the agents of that change. All the other candidates are the agents of the old, failed, traditional system.”

“We can’t come out from the existing IMF programme because we entered into the IMF programme only after the country was financially collapsed. We believe there could have been another alternative. But now all the bilateral and multilateral agreements have been placed inside the IMF basket,” Mr.Dissanayaka said.

“More attention should be paid to the hardships faced by the people when moving forward with the IMF programme,” he said.

Mr.Dissanayaka said that his administration will not seek to punish anyone accused of human rights violations and war crimes during Sri Lanka’s brutal 26-year civil war.

“On the question of accountability, it should not be in a way to take revenge, not in a way to accuse someone, but only to find out the truth,” Dissanayaka said. “Even the victims do not expect anyone to be punished. They only want to know what happened.” 

Whichever candidate wins the presidency will have an intricate geopolitical balance to maintain between China and India, both of which hold Sri Lankan debt and are vying for control in the region. While China is economically secure, Sri Lanka is physically closer to India.