President Mahinda Rajapaksa has political stability and consistent policies :

Lanka conducive for foreign investment -Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

Manjula Fernando

Consistent policies of the Government has turned Sri Lanka into a country conducive for foreign investment, former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said.

The iconic former leader said domestic or foreign investors will invest only when there is stability, especially political stability and consistent policies by government is crucial for creating the right conditions for investors. “We see this happening in Sri Lanka now. It is a stable country”.

Dr. Mahathir was in Sri Lanka to make the keynote speech at the Hambantota conclave, a forum held at the BMICH to create awareness on the future development plans for the greater Hambantota area, an aspiring economic hub.

He said Sri Lanka has overcome major issues such as terrorism and the country was in an exciting development phase at present. He said he had visited Sri Lanka several times and during the past five years the country had seen a rapid infrastructure development.

Speaking about change of governments, Dr.Mahathir who is the man behind Malaysia’s success story said, if a person is performing that person should be given the support he deserves. “When somebody does not perform he should be changed but if you think the performance of a person is good, you should retain him.”

“Changing governments is not a solution to all problems. You may get a worse government if you change the present one,” he said.

The Malaysian leader flagged off a number of Malaysian investments, including a condominium project in Hambantota and an integrated transport terminal in the Pettah during his stay.