Sri Lanka is facing the biggest economic challenge it has ever faced in the history of the nation, which is the lack of foreign exchange, according to Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila. He made this statement while speaking in Parliament a short while ago today (20). "Sri Lanka is currently facing the worst economic challenge we have ever faced in the history of the nation. One of the challenges we are facing is the lack of foreign exchange. The poor people might not be able to comprehend such big words, but they feel the pinch of the economic crisis. The first step forward is by acknowledging that we do have a problem in the country, " he said. Gammanpila further said that for a person to look for a solution, they must also realise and accept that they have a problem to face. "Turtles hide their heads under the sand and think that they cannot be seen. This is how the Government thinks they are hiding the foreign exchange issue right now. With this mentality, we will not be able to come out of the situation we are in now," he stated. Additionally, Gammanpila stated that all governments that have led the country since 1995 are responsible for the current economic situation. "All the governments we have had in the past have only proposed budgets which have not brought any income to the country, but only losses. They have only been adjusting the budget to suit the system at that time, instead of considering the future generations. Future generations are now debtors and will not be able to live a free life," he added. Further, Gammanpilla stated that the well known fact in Sri Lankans is that they spend what they do not have. "Sri Lankans are they type of people in society that spends more than what we earn. Since 1995 all budgets that have been proposed are losses incurred. Whatever political party, be it green, red, yellow, purple or maroon, they are all the same. By taking loans and spending now, all we are doing is taking funds from our future generations for our temporary needs now, and they will have to pay the debts," Gammanpila mentioned. In conclusion, Gammanpila reiterated that the government should stop thinking for the moment and instead think of solutions which would benefit the country on the long run.