Speaker bravely wards off threats in Parliament
Safeguarding democracy in Sri Lanka is quite painful at times as the Speaker of Parliament to withstand chairs, chillie powder and threats of acid being flung at you and also face the threat of shooting during Parliament session, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya told a chamber audience last week.
Speaking as chief guest at the 60th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka held at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo, he said Sri Lanka’s geographical location in the Indian Ocean is a vital factor not only for businessmen but for many world powers as it is ideally suited for many reasons.
“When I meet foreign investors I always tell them that God has put Sri Lanka in the right place. Following Sri Lanka’s independence we were a disciplined nation with a well-managed economy and with good health and an education system in place where the rule of law was functioning. It is interesting to note that the difference of Sri Lanka’s GDP compared to the Japanese GDP way back in 1948 was a mere one dollar,” he added.
The Speaker said it was unfortunate that during the past 70 years Sri Lanka faced two unsuccessful military coups in the 60’s and with terrorist activity in the 80s. “But from now on we have to march forward and the government is faced with a dilemma with two parties with opposing views on economic development of the country. When one party says that economy should be led by private sector, the other party says that the state-led economy was the best.”
He however said these issues have to be resolved mutually to move forward. Referring to the incident that happened on the October 26, he said it was his duty to safeguard democracy. No investor would come to Sri Lanka if there was political instability.
State Minister –Finance and Mass Media Eran Wickramaratne said that any country with a budget deficit of below 15 per cent of the GDP has a big issue when state revenue was needed to maintain the basic amenities such as defence, judicial system, infrastructure, basic education, health, etc.
Government revenue in 1978 was high being 27 per cent of the GDP, came down to 11.5 per cent in 2014, according to Central Bank statistics. “When you have revenue crunches and when services are not provided by the government it creates a social disequilibrium. Sri Lanka has gone through cycles of violence every 20 years or so.” He said more exports from the country were needed to improve the living standards of people. The newly elected 33rd President of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka Asela De Livera and the Outgoing President of the Chamber, Sujeeve Samaraweera also spoke.