Lankan president vows to end island's image as 'corrupt' country
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake hoists national flag during country's Independence Day celebrations —AFP
February 05, 2025 00:00:00
COLOMBO, Feb 04 (AFP): Sri Lanka's leftist president marked the anniversary of independence from Britain on Tuesday with a pledge to change the impoverished island nation's image as a "corrupt" country.
Self-avowed Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake dispensed with the usual elaborate military pageantry of jet flyovers and horse parades to mark the 1948 handover of power.
His government instead staged a scaled-down military march in keeping with his pledge to pare lavish spending on government officialdom.
"We are committed to transforming Sri Lanka's global image from a country known for corrupt governance," he said in a message to the nation.
"Despite countless obstacles and the deep-rooted flaws of the past corrupt political system, the people's government, built by the collective will of the citizens, is steadily progressing forward."
Dissanayake's government concluded a long-delayed debt restructuring with both bilateral and private creditors late last year, ending Sri Lanka's status as a bankrupt nation.
Sri Lanka had defaulted on its $46 billion external debt in April 2022 after running out of foreign exchange to finance the import of food, fuel, medicines and other essentials.