Pallewatte says country urgently needs USD 10 billion to come out of current economic mess

Presidential candidate of the National Development Front Dr. Rohan Pallewatte, addressing a rally at Rabindranath Tagore Hall, Matara, last Sunday, said the country urgently needed at least 10 billion USD to address the present precarious economic situation facing it.

Pallewatte said that he had already negotiated with foreign investors to invest at least 4 billion USD in the country. “Corruption which was rampant during the past two regimes has led to loss of investor confidence that contributed to the present economic woes,” said Pallewatte.

He said that the present national security problem could not be addressed outside the economic context. “The present economic insecurity and economic instability are two sides of the same coin. Therefore it is important to find speedy solutions to the pressing economic issues of the people”, Pallewatte stressed.

Noting that none of the main stream candidates had answers to the problems facing the country, he pointed out that it was imperative to have a sound foreign policy and to negotiate with the foreign leaders on an equal footing. “For this you should be a person of some stature acceptable to the international community, and have a clean track record”, Pallewatte said. (PC)

(Source: The Island)