Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath has called on the country not to allow foreign investment to be lost due to bureaucratic delays. She added that such delays would cause the country to lose valuable foreign exchange.
The Governor further stated that the deliberate delays are being carried out by government officials to further aggravate the current economic crisis.
She was speaking at a meeting with the heads of provincial institutions at the Governor’s Office in Trincomalee on Monday (18) before the commencement of work in the New Year.
“There is an economic crisis in the country today. We all feel it and no one is unaware of it. Until this crisis is resolved, we as public servants need to make great sacrifices. The national debt comprises borrowings not only by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s regime, but by all previous Governments too. Over the past two years, the Covid crisis has resulted in a 50 percent drop in remittances from foreign tourists and foreign workers.”
“Now we have a big role to play in overcoming this economic crisis. As a Provincial Council we need to do what we can at a lower cost and make plans to increase the revenue of the province. The accusation from society is that the system is corrupt. Therefore, let us set an example by minimizing waste and working efficiently. Otherwise this country will never recover,” she added.
