Former secretary to the ministry of finance Mahinda Siriwardana has lauded former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decisive leadership during Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis.
Noting that Wickremesinghe’s policy decisions were central to the country’s current recovery, Siriwardana praised incumbent Anura Kumara Dissanayake for choosing to continue with the same economic roadmap.
The former finance secretary made these remarks while participating on the Derana 360 programme on Monday (30).
Siriwardana, who played a key role during the height of the crisis, said that Wickremesinghe made politically unpopular but economically necessary decisions without hesitation, prioritising national stability over personal political gain.
“Had those difficult decisions not been made, the success we see today could have easily unravelled,” he said, noting that former president Wickremesinghe was consistently consulted for guidance, particularly during sensitive stages of the external debt restructuring process.
Reflecting on his own tenure, Siriwardana said he had learned significantly from working closely with Wickremesinghe, especially with regard to how the former president engaged with international financial institutions and foreign governments during a period of heightened scrutiny.
Welcoming President Dissanayake’s decision to continue with the policy direction set in motion by Wickremesinghe, he referred to it as a “great decision,” especially in light of the severe setbacks caused by the reversal of key economic policies in 2019.
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