CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA   Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, July 10 (Daily Mirror) – Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara today accused the government of mishandling tariff negotiations with the United States, claiming Sri Lanka had failed to secure meaningful benefits from the recent tariff reductions announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking at a media briefing in Colombo, Jayasekara said the National People’s Power (NPP) government should be ashamed of its incompetence, noting that while Sri Lanka’s tariff rate on exports to the U.S. was reduced from 44% to 30%, the country missed an opportunity for greater concessions.

This cannot be called a positive moment for Sri Lanka,” he remarked. If the government had conducted negotiations with a proper, constructive approach, the country could have secured more relief. The government boasting about this as a success is laughable.”

Jayasekara pointed out that Sri Lanka could have obtained a larger reduction — possibly the highest among the countries listed by the U.S. President for tariff revisions — if it had approached talks strategically.

He also criticised the lack of an official government statement or strategy during the negotiations. They were too busy saying ‘I am the one’ instead of acting in the country’s interest, and that has led us to this unfortunate situation,” he said.

Highlighting trade imbalances, the MP noted that Sri Lanka exports about USD 3 million worth of goods to the U.S. while importing USD 368 million. He urged the government to prioritise measures to narrow the USD 2.6 million trade gap, warning that continued inaction would further destabilise the already fragile economy.

If this had been handled with the right vision and leadership, Sri Lanka could have capitalised on this opportunity,” Jayasekara added.