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Facing controversies on multiple fronts, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-led Government would surely have been glad that this week’s Parliament sittings were limited to just Tuesday (8) owing to COVID-19 concerns. Nevertheless, for much of the day, the Government was forced to defend itself against attacks by the Opposition over its handling of key issues such as the pandemic, vaccination, the fertiliser crisis and the X-Press Pearl disaster.

Making a statement at the beginning of proceedings, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage mounted a vigorous defence of the Government’s controversial decision to do away with chemical fertiliser. “Chemical fertiliser usage in this country has risen by 300% within four years. This is a dangerous situation. Yet, there has been no corresponding increase in production or cultivated land,” the Minister said.

“There are some 20 organic fertiliser importing private companies in the country. The Government has no intention to import organic fertiliser itself, but will import liquid nitrogen fertiliser if required,” he said.

Moving an adjournment motion for the Opposition on the “Prevailing Situation of the Country,” Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) frontliner Ranjith Madduma Bandara said the country had been plunged into a massive crisis. “The Government is directly responsible for allowing the COVID pandemic to spread and putting the people’s lives at risk. It is also indirectly neglecting its responsibilities to vaccinate the people,” he alleged. Besides the failure to procure enough vaccines, even the process of administering the vaccines it had acquired was beset by irregularities, he pointed out.

He warned that “shortsighted and arbitrary decisions” taken to immediately halt chemical fertiliser imports and proceed with organic fertiliser imports could lead to the collapse of the agricultural economy and would place the livelihoods of farmers in jeopardy. “The policy has resulted in a fertiliser shortage. There are signs it could lead to food shortages in the near future,” he added.

The Government had failed on all fronts, Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella stated, seconding the motion. “It has failed to control the pandemic, failed in vaccination, failed in agriculture and education and every other field,” he said.

The Government also only remembers local production when it has no money, he charged. “It initially said it would give the fertilizer subsidy. Now that it has no money, it is talking about local production.”

The pandemic has caused immense harm to the education of children in the country, National People’s Power (NPP) Gampaha District MP Vijitha Herath pointed out. “Online education is not a successful method. It only benefits a certain segment of the student population. The vast majority of Sri Lankan children are suffering today as they don’t have the facilities to pursue online education. They have no smartphones or laptops. Even those who have these items suffer as they have no proper coverage in their areas or can’t purchase data cards since the shops are closed. In some households with several children, they have only one smartphone,” he observed.

Responding to these charges, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said the adjournment motion’s real objective was to cripple the Government’s move to ban chemical fertiliser imports and produce agricultural crops using organic fertiliser. She claimed that 30,000 new cancer patients were being reported each year in the country while 46 cancer patients die each day. Moreover, 164,000 kidney patients are reported each year. About 500 die every month and 6000 perish each year, she claimed. “Scientists and medical experts have repeatedly linked these illnesses to the usage of chemical pesticides and fertiliser. We have questions whether the SJB is bringing this motion on behalf of the multinational companies that are involved in chemical fertiliser imports.”

State Minister of Coast Conservation and Waste Disposal Dr Nalaka Godahewa and State Minister of Fisheries Kanchana Wijesekara spoke of the issues surrounding the X-Press Pearl fire. “This was a natural disaster that some are trying to portray as something else,” Dr Godahewa told the House, adding that coast conservation operations and cleanup efforts had begun on May 21, the day after the fire started on the ship. “We have already collected 1075 tonnes of debris from the ship and placed them in 43 containers to show the insurers. Don’t fall for doctored pictures shared on social media. Go to the beaches and see how well they have been cleaned thus far,” he told Opposition MPs.

State Minister Wijesekara said it was not just fishermen who have been affected. “We have identified 23 other professions that are linked to the fishing industry. We will document all of them and have asked that they be compensated for lost daily wages as well.” The Government acknowledges that environmental damage has been caused by the disaster, but Mr Wijesekara urged the Opposition not to mislead the public by stoking rumours that it was now unsafe to eat fish.

A highlight of the days proceedings was the speech of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam. He apologised to the people for the lives lost due to COVID-19 and not being able to do more to help control the spread of the pandemic.

Parliament will reconvene at 10 a.m. on June 22.