Chathuranga defends Government’s commitment to strengthen State-Owned Enterprises

Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Chathuranga Abeysinghe, took to Facebook yesterday to strongly reaffirm the government’s commitment to protecting and developing Sri Lanka’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

In his post, Abeysinghe criticized those who, for the past 40 years, have pushed for the full privatization of SOEs. “There is a team who love to see all SOEs owned by private capital, but they had 40 years and they failed,” he wrote.

He also pointed out that during past governments, when public funds were allegedly misused, critics and influencers remained silent. “Whilst the tax money were robbed by then rulers, vlogs could not speak up, was hiding behind the bushes or scared to speak up,” he said.

Abeysinghe noted that the current administration is different and has pledged to strengthen SOEs while making sure they serve the nation’s strategic goals and promote fair competition. “Actually now it’s a different bunch who are in power, who have pledged to save and improve SOEs and ensure markets are competitive, strategic development goals are supported by SOEs,” he stated.

He assured the public that the government would stay true to its promises. “So we will do what was promised and mandated by people.”

Expressing optimism about the future of Sri Lanka’s national carrier, the Deputy Minister said he is proud to see the airline recovering. “As a Sri Lankan, as a politician, as a person who believes in tourism, I’m so proud to see our national airline coming out of trouble,” he said. He expressed hope that it could soon become as successful as the airlines of Singapore, Thailand, or New Zealand—national carriers that are “run by its people.”

The post comes amid ongoing discussions about the future of state assets and the government’s efforts to turn around loss-making SOEs through reform and restructuring.