President Pledges to Eliminate Queues and Fulfil Youth Aspirations at Open Mic Night

President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that his goal is to create a country where there are no queues and where the aspirations of the youth are met.

He made these remarks during the “Open Mic Night” youth music event at the outdoor theatre in Diyatha Uyana, Battaramulla yesterday (08).

The President received a warm welcome from the young people, who were pleasantly surprised by his appearance. He engaged with them in a friendly manner, sitting among them and responding positively to their questions.

The President asked a youth what he expected from the government, to which the said youth responded that he hoped for a sense of comfort. The President replied that a strong government is essential for ensuring the happiness of the youth and committed to taking responsibility for creating a robust economy for them.

In response to a young man’s concern about enduring long queues again, the President assured that under his leadership, the youth would only have to stand in line at the cinema.

While responding to a question said by a youth on Netflix, the president said;

"I'll get Netflix. But why can't anyone put a Sri Lankan movie on there? Why not something like Squid Game, House of Cards, or even Designated Survivor? I’m considering suggesting Chariots of Fire to the opposition. "

Reflecting on his past, President Wickremesinghe shared that when he presented the white paper as Minister of Education, President J.R. Jayewardene had warned him not to jeopardize the government with the proposed reforms, though he acknowledged that the white paper was a good initiative. He noted that JR didn't lose his position over the reforms and that he had followed JR’s guidance until now. However, with the new responsibilities of leading the country, he had to diverge from those past directives.

The President recalled that when he assumed office two years ago, the country’s economy was in total collapse. He explained that the IMF had warned that the economy would continue to deteriorate if the debt burden was not addressed. As a result, the IMF advised against taking loans from local banks and printing more money.

To address this situation, he had to increase VAT to generate state revenue. He emphasized that without these measures, it would have been impossible to stabilize the country.

The young people expressed their gratitude to the President for his unexpected visit and were pleased to have the opportunity to discuss their needs directly with him.