Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim stated that the interim budget presented on December 5 allocates the same amount to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for the first four months of 2025 as was allocated to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe for the first four months of 2024.
Speaking during the parliamentary debate on the interim budget, MP Hashim pointed out that a sum of Rs. 1.4 trillion has been allocated under the President’s expenditure head for both years. “In 2024, Rs. 1.4 trillion was allocated to Ranil Wickremesinghe under the President’s expenditure. For 2025, the same amount of Rs. 1.4 trillion has been allocated to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for the four months from January to April in this interim budget. There is no reduction or change. What is the difference? What has been altered? The system remains the same, despite the leadership change. Explain this to us,” he said.
He further noted, “The President also mentioned in his speech that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement will be implemented without hesitation. While this is commendable, we, the SJB, have stated that although we support the framework of the IMF agreement, certain aspects of it require changes. Ironically, the current government appears to have adopted a more neo-liberal approach than us.”
Addressing the supplementary estimate tabled in Parliament, MP Hashim revealed that Rs. 3,213 million has been sought to reimburse payments made by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to financial and legal consultants involved in the debt restructuring process. He also criticized the current administration for lacking transparency, remarking that “Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government came to Parliament dressed to build the country, but today, President Anura Dissanayake and his government come to Parliament without clothes.”
MP Hashim emphasized the need for parliamentary approval before implementing any debt sustainability agreements with international sovereign bondholders. He asserted that parliamentarians must be informed about such agreements and questioned whether the current administration intends to continue the terms of the previous government’s debt agreements or pursue a new approach.
His comments underscored the importance of fiscal transparency and the government’s accountability in managing the country’s economic challenges.
