With an almost two third majority in Parliament, getting the Budget passed was an easy task for the ruling UPFA but the committee stage debate was somewhat a stormy affair with a barrage of opposition criticism levelled at the government for mishandling the economy, curbing media freedom and bungling the country’s foreign relations.
The protest outside the United Nations (UN) office in Colombo couldn’t have come at a worse time for External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris who saw the vote on his Ministry being taken up for debate on Thursday. He tried to divert attention from the UN matter and instead talk of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy successes, the latest of them being President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s efforts to solve the political crisis in the neighbouring Maldives, although he briefly spoke of how the government handled the protestors. He defended the government action saying it was in compliance with both “domestic law” and Sri Lanka’s “international obligations”.
But the following day, he was compelled to make a long explanation in Parliament to clarify media reports on the UN’s decision to close down a regional office in Colombo.
“The UN is not closing down its operations in Colombo and neither is it recalling its Country Representative Neil Bhune. He has been asked to come for consultations as is normal in this kind of situation,” the Minister explained.
He also took pains to say that no UN staff members had been harmed, intimidated or harassed by the protestors and vowed that the Government would guarantee the “inviolability” of the UN compound in Colombo.
All these assurances, coming at a time when a Minister in his own Cabinet was on a fast-unto-death outside the UN office, probably expose the contradictory nature of the UPFA government’s ambiguous policy, with which it tries to please both the domestic constituency and the international community.
Like the Hambantota district’s UNP MP Sajith Premadasa said in Parliament, Minister Peiris is, no doubt, capable of using diplomacy, ideas and arguments to win over the world media and world opinion in safeguarding the country’s interests at the international level but whether he can do so alone without the backing of his government is another question.
Mr. Premadasa, however, saw Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s death fast outside the UN compound as a “rabble-rousing” move and described it as “the sort of lunacy” that could draw serious international repercussions.
Democratic National Alliance (DNA) MP Vijitha Herath, who is the JVP’s international affairs spokesman, linked the government’s loss of world support to its policy of suppressing the media. “One of the reasons for the suspension of the GSP Plus preferential trade status for Sri Lanka by the European Commission is the government’s failure to uphold media freedom. This is one yardstick with which the vibrancy of a democracy is judged but it is not there in our country now,” he charged.
The UNP’s Gampaha district MP, Ruwan Wijewardene, too was critical of the manner in which the government handled the media, particularly, the state media, saying these institutions were being used as “mouthpieces of the state.”
But Government members had their own views of the issue of what was meant by “freedom”. “What freedom is the opposition talking about that is not there today? People are travelling from north to south and vise versa without any fear. There are no checkpoints and they are free. The people who say there is no freedom speak and write at the behest of NGOs,” Minister Basil Rajapaksa said.
The committee-stage debate also gave government members the opportunity to mock the main opposition UNP. They said the UNP should put its house in order before pointing its finger at the government. “When some UNP members talk in the House, all the others abandon them as they are loyalists of the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. This is how the UNP operates now,” Deputy Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.
Another area that attracted opposition criticism was the IMF loan. The opposition charged that the government was unable to pay the Rs. 2,500 pay hike to public sector workers because of IMF conditions.
“There is M One, the International Monetary Fund, and M Two, the International Medamulane Fund, both of which have got together to block the pay hike for the public servants,” Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said.
However House leader and Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva dismissed these allegations and said the government would kneel before any international body. “Today the IMF has become a monster for the UNP but it was the UNP that agreed to downsize the public sector and stop pensions due to its deals with the IMF,” the Minister said, adding that his government would not listen to such advice.
Pick of Parliament speeches
Human rights issues: Those in glass houses should not throw stones.
Deputy Minister of Environment -
Faizer Mustapha – Committee stage debate in Parliament
Today the world is traveling in the direction of sustainable development. We will strive to make a sustainable Sri Lanka to bring economic prosperity by giving the required leadership set out in ‘Mahinda Chinthanaya – Idiri Dekma’ to achieve this goal.
Today we see some countries pointing the finger at us without realizing that people in glass houses should not throw stones. Human rights are being used falsely by certain quarters to batter us under the influence of the remnants of the LTTE.
However most western nations who consider themselves as champions of human rights have exploited natural resources without concern for the present or the future and this is totally detrimental to the well being of the global community.
We are in a day and age where we should live in sustainable cities. Kandy which is a sacred city is unfortunately one of the most polluted cities in the country. We will strive to make Kandy a role model of a sustainable green city and bring back its serenity and majesty.
Sri Lanka has maintained
stable growth
Minister of Industry and Commerce
Rishad Bathiudeen:
A special emphasis has been made in Budget 2010 for the development of the Northern and Eastern provinces. The Government hopes to mobilize the human and other resources in these provinces which had long been neglected.
In spite of the war situation that halted the economic activities of one third of the country, Sri Lanka has been able to maintain a stable growth at close to around 6.4 per cent as well as in other economic and social indicators which signify an upward trend.
The Government has planned to implement/rejuvenate 100 new and existing industrial development programmes within the next three years in the Northern Province. These include palmyrah and rice based industries, fish processing and salt based industries.
In order to facilitate local industries, the import duty on raw materials and intermediate inputs has been brought own to zero so that they could be imported duty free. As a result of the duty reduction, the cost of production of local industries would come down making their products more competitive in the local and international markets.
We have fewer friends standing up
for us internationally
Sajith Premadasa: UNP MP Hambantota District:
Committee stage debate on Ministry of External Affairs
All forms of sovereignty rests upon the sovereignty of the people. Therefore we in the UNP reject and remain vigilant against any external attempt to violate the sovereignty of the Sri Lankan state. Sri Lanka’s struggle for unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty was waged mainly but not exclusively by the skilled use of superior forces, the Government and the country’s elected political leadership.Today and tomorrow, the struggle to safeguard our sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity does not take place fundamentally and primarily on our soil. It takes place in the global arena. It does not take place through the use of armed force.
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If the balance of world opinion tilts against Sri Lanka in the long term, we stand in danger of jeopardizing the fruits of our hard fought, hard won military victory. We are in a dangerously vulnerable situation today. While there are renewed incursions on our sovereignty from misguided quarters, it would appear that fewer of our friends are standing up promptly and robustly for us. We seem to be unable to deter and defeat moves against us.
We must be careful not to lose the vast middle ground internationally and to do whatever is necessary to keep our traditional friends from shifting to a position of benign neutrality.We in the UNP are vehemently opposed to the UN Secretary General’s patronising incursion in to our domestic affairs. The Secretary General of the UN must remember that he is an international civil servant chosen to serve the needs and interest of the United Nations which is the world’s largest inter-governmental body.
He must never allow the lobbying of those who control the purse; in terms of UN funds and unaccountable NGOs to influence him more than the voice of legitimate states nor must he be pressured and dictated to by the few into ignoring the wishes of many. However, it seems to me that it is the incompetence and negligence on the part of the government that has left room for such incursions into our sovereignty.
Hence, I consider the arbitrary decision taken by the UN Secretary General repugnant, repulsive and reprehensible. In the matter of the panel appointed by the UN secretary General, Mr. Speaker I urge the government to contain the limit the scope of this confrontation. This is surely a problem we have with the 38th floor, not the entirety of the United Nations the rabble rousing call by Minister Wimal Weerawansa to surround the UN office here in Colombo and take its staff hostage, is the sort of lunacy that could create a serious international incident.
Sadly, I do not know which is more irrational, the report that Ministers Milroy Fernando and (Vinayamoorthy) Muralidharan were summoned to Temple Trees for a dressing down because they sang and danced at a wedding reception, or the fact that Minister Weerawansa was not similarly summoned to Temple Trees for a dressing down over a matter with far more serious consequences for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka policymaking must not be embroiled in a senseless controversy over whether we should be closer to India or china. We should be close to both, at the expense of neither. We must draw comfort from the rise of both powers because we belong to Asia, acontinent which can only prosper from the economic emergence of both powers.
Rid the sports
sector from
rampant corruption
DNA MP Arjuna Ranatunga:
Committee stage debate on
Ministry of Sports
The sports laws in the country must be made more stringent so that action can be taken against officials involved in corruption and fraud in the sector. This sports sector in the country is plagued with corruption and fraud on an unprecedented scale.
I request the Sports Minister C.B. Ratnayake to take measures to rid the sports sector from rampant corruption. I will extend my support to a worthy cause. I urge the Minister to take appropriate action against certain officials responsible for financial scandals in Sri Lanka Cricket.
We are in the Opposition. Yet, we want to improve the sports sector. We are ready to support you in your struggle to root out corruption. I believe Minister Ratnayake is keen on ridding the sports sector of corruption. Minister S.B. Dissanayake too has rendered a great service to the sports sector.
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