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Opposition, Govt. allies gear up for anti-casino debate in House
The Opposition will call for a vote by name, when the Order made under the Strategic Development Projects Act to give tax concessions to a “casino project” in Colombo, is taken up for debate in Parliament this week. The debate scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will go ahead despite opposition from religious leaders as well as several political parties, Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said.
Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga said that UNP MPs will fully participate in the debate, with many MPs listed to speak during the two-day debate. “We are strongly opposed to the move to give official sanction to casinos, hence we are voting against it,” Mr Amaratunga told the Sunday times.
He said that, once the regulations are approved by Parliament, it will give legal status for Sri Lanka to become an international casino centre like Macau.He added that the UNP would call for a vote by name, so that people will see which MPs support the move.
Meanwhile, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe said the Party would vote against the regulations. Asked if the two JHU MPs, Ven. Aturaliye Ratana Thera and Minister Champika Ranawaka, would take part in the debate, the spokesman said it is not clear if they would be allocated time to speak during the debate.
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