Former Deputy Leader of the United National Party and Member of Parliament, Ravi Karunanayake, says that small and medium-sized entrepreneurs should not be held accountable for the country’s economic collapse caused by poor government policies.
Speaking to ceylonwire.lk, the MP emphasized that entrepreneurs must not lose their assets due to the consequences of government decisions or actions taken by the Central Bank in response to those policies.
“It is not fair to blame or penalize SMEs for an economic downturn triggered by state mismanagement,” he said, adding that these groups should not bear the burden of bankruptcy resulting from national-level failures.
Karunanayake stated that he is prepared to submit a private member’s motion in Parliament to address this issue.
He further proposed a relief package for small and medium entrepreneurs who obtained bank loans between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and December 2024. According to him, this period saw many entrepreneurs pushed into hardship due to overlapping health and economic crises, and a targeted relief program would help them recover.
