The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that in the lead-up to the Presidential election, it will host Sri Lanka’s first-ever debate on economic policy featuring the leading economic policy experts nominated by the four main Presidential candidates. ‘Defining the Vision – THE Debate’ is set to take place on 29th August at 9 am at the BMICH.
Moderated by the Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber Duminda Hulangamuwa and Board Member Kasturi Chellaraja, the debate will feature Hon. Shehan Semasinghe representing Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Hon. (Dr.) Harsha De Silva representing Hon. Sajith Premadasa, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma representing Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and Hon. (Prof) Ranjith Bandara representing Hon. Namal Rajapakse.
This debate comes at a crucial time when the nation faces unparalleled economic challenges, and the need for a stable and sustainable economy has never been more urgent. There is a growing call for clarity on the candidates ' economic strategies across the country, from business leaders and professionals to academics and civil society. Voters seek to understand not only who they are casting their votes for, but also the policies and plans they are endorsing.
The Ceylon Chamber has for decades been at the forefront of advocacy, engaging with policymakers at the highest levels to drive critical economic reforms. In the lead-up to the recent economic crisis, the Ceylon Chamber was actively engaging with political parties, urging reforms to avert disaster. In the aftermath, we continued our efforts, collaborating with policymakers to implement necessary reforms related to taxation, independence of the Central Bank, energy reforms, digital ID, and improving market access through Free Trade Agreements.
As the premier representative of the country’s private sector, and the leading Business Chamber, the Ceylon Chamber was also the first to engage with the leading Presidential candidates, providing the candidates with direct access to the key drivers of Sri Lanka’s economy, ensuring that the private sector’s voice was heard in shaping future economic policies. These engagements also provided an opportunity to generate a consensus among all political parties for the reform agenda.
The Ceylon Chamber is thankful to the four presidential candidates for accepting our invitation and nominating their leading economic policy experts to represent them in this debate.
Registrations to attend the debate are now open. Please contact Alikie on 0777508955 /alikie@chamber.lk for more information.