SL Ports Minister refuses to issue gazette liberating shipping sector

A new internal conflict is brewing in Sri Lanka’s government of cohabitation with a government minister refusing to issue a gazette notification pertaining to a budget proposal presented by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
While opposition is mounting against the proposal to allow unrestricted foreign investment in the shipping sector, Ports and Shipping Minister Mahinda Samaraweera added fuel to the fire on Tuesday, saying in parliament that he not only opposes the proposal but will not issue the required gazette.
“The position of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) is that we oppose this proposal. And as the minister in charge of the subject, I will not issue the gazette notification (giving effect to the budget proposal),” he told Parliament. The Finance Minister represents the United National Party (UNP), the other group in the 2-party government.
That restrictions on foreign ownership in the shipping and the freight forwarding agencies will be lifted was announced in the Finance Minister’s 2018 budget presented on November 9.
Over the past few days, to-and-fro large advertisements have appeared in newspapers, praising the proposal (government agencies) and criticising the proposal (shipping agents association – CASA). Local agents say the move will kill the local industry while the government says liberalizing the sector will bring in more agencies and more ships to Sri Lanka.
The evolving crisis comes at a time when political tensions are rising over the forthcoming local government elections in January. The SLFP and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s new grouping are in talks to see whether they could contest the poll as one. The UNP on the other hand is threatening to withdraw from the government and attempt to form a government on its own since it has the largest number of seats. – ENDS -