Sajith Premadasa, leader of the Sri Lankan opposition, has asked for the IMF Staff-Level Agreement to be presented in parliament.
On Tuesday, he informed the chamber that, due to parliament’s control over public finances, it was vital that lawmakers and the public be familiar with the terms of the IMF Staff Level Agreement.
Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe has stated twice while in the opposition that such reports should be tabled as the Parliament has the financial authority regarding the relevant agreements, and the opposition leader also said that he would request that the relevant agreement be presented to the House taking it as a precedent.
The opposition leader claimed that after reviewing the document in question, they would be afforded the opportunity to voice their concerns and make suggestions.
Dr. Harsha de Silva, a member of Parliament for the SJB and the current Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance, has stated that the contents of the Staff-Level Agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund must be made known to the parliament if the government is to gain the opposition’s support for the acceptance and adoption of the IMF-recommended economic reforms.
Professor Charitha Herath, another member of parliament, echoed MP De Silva’s call for a debate on the Agreement with the IMF.
Minister Susil Premajayantha informed Parliament that the Cabinet of Ministers has not yet been presented with the IMF Staff-Level Agreement.
