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President Ranil Wickremesinghe urged the citizens to cast their vote on September 21 with the future of themselves and their children in mind, rather than focusing on the interests of Sajith Premadasa or Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He made these remarks while addressing the "Ranil ta Puluwan" (Ranil Can ) rally in Kilinochchi earlier today (10).
A significant number of people attended the rally, which was organized to secure support for President Wickremesinghe in the upcoming presidential election. During his speech, the President criticized both Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake for failing to take meaningful action to ease the suffering of the people during the recent economic crisis.
Reflecting on his own efforts, President Wickremesinghe recalled his international negotiations for securing vital resources like fuel and fertilizer, contrasting this with the actions of Sajith and Anura, whom he accused of prioritizing elections and strikes over the nation's stability. He expressed his distrust in leaders who sought votes while the country was in distress.
The President called on all citizens to unite in the effort to further strengthen the nation's economy, which has been rebuilt through great challenges, and work toward the shared goal of creating a developed country.
I want to express my gratitude to all of you for being here today. Just two years ago, the people of this country were struggling to survive. There was no food, no fuel, no gas, and no medicine. The economy had completely collapsed, and there wasn’t even fertilizer to grow crops. It was at that time that I took responsibility for leading this country. Witnessing the immense suffering of our people was heart-breaking.
I made a firm decision that the right to life of our citizens had to be protected. With that in mind, I accepted the responsibility of stabilizing the economy and ensuring the country could function again. However, during this critical time, neither Sajith Premadasa nor Anura Kumara stepped forward to address the hunger and hardships of the people.
While you endured unimaginable suffering, they chose not to support the relief efforts we initiated. Instead, they asked for your vote. While I was in talks with world leaders to secure essential resources like fertilizer and fuel, they were asking for votes. As the nation faced pain and hardship, they called for elections and strikes.
Meanwhile, I ensured that farmers received the necessary fertilizer, allowing them to return to their fields. I made sure fuel, gas, and medicines reached the people, gradually restoring normalcy to their lives. Though prices rose as a result of the economic collapse, we worked tirelessly to provide relief to the public, step by step. Today, we see a significant decrease in prices, and the economy is beginning to recover. With this progress, we will be able to offer even more support to the people in the days ahead.
Over the next five years, we are committed to implementing these initiatives. We’ve already launched the agricultural modernization program, which will help people in these areas boost their production using modern technology. We’re also establishing a new network to sell farmers’ vegetables and fruits locally, with private sector involvement to support this effort. In addition, a large cold storage facility will be built in this region to preserve produce.
Our goal is to develop agriculture here so that we can achieve yields of 8 metric tons of paddy per hectare. This program is crucial, and we must continue it.
We’re also focused on attracting more tourists to these provinces, which will help increase income. At the same time, there are plans to create investment zones across the country.
This region has immense potential for large-scale solar power production, and we are working to sell the surplus energy to India. These initiatives are designed to uplift the people of this area. By introducing a digital economy, we aim to create a digital zone around Kilinochchi’s Engineering Faculty, and we’re developing Pooneryn as a major energy hub. Together, we can develop this country, and we need your support to achieve that.
If Sajith and Anura come to power, all they will do is talk. Our goal is to truly develop these areas, eradicate poverty, and build a better future. So, I urge you to think about your future. On September 21, vote for the gas cylinder, keeping in mind the future of your children, not the future of Sajith or Anura.
The opportunity we have to re-elect President Ranil Wickremesinghe to the Presidency is crucial. If we miss this chance, we may have to wait another five years to rectify the situation. It is uncertain whether our country will be in a position to recover within that time frame. If we fail to support his reappointment, it is certain that we will need to undertake a prolonged effort to restore the country economically.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership is essential for the next five years. Continuing the development initiatives that have already begun in our country depends on his leadership. Without it, we will likely face a situation where we need to start rebuilding our economy from scratch.
Some leaders in the North, maintaining relations with leaders in the South, have criticized the Southern leaders for allegedly misleading the people in the North. However, President Ranil Wickremesinghe is a leader who is genuinely committed to developing both North and South without discrimination and to ensuring the welfare of all citizens. I urge you to confirm our confidence in President Ranil Wickremesinghe in this Presidential Election. Let us mark our support by casting our votes to the Gas Cylinder and reappointing him as President, continuing the progress of our nation.
Some individuals are attempting to mislead the public by misrepresenting past efforts. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s provision of incomplete housing in the north led to widespread hardship, leaving many people homeless. In contrast, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been the only leader to effectively address the land and housing issues faced by our communities. Over the past two years, he has worked diligently to secure land rights for northern residents.
In addition to addressing land concerns, President Wickremesinghe has also tackled critical water shortages in the region. Despite facing various criticisms, his administration has delivered practical solutions to the country’s pressing problems.
The event was attended by various religious leaders led by Maha Sangha, EPDP party officials, and former and current local government representatives.
