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President Gotabaya Rajapaksa addressing Parliament
By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent
Giving a taste of what awaits Sri Lanka in the next five years, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday outlined core policies of his Government, centring on significant changes to develop Sri Lanka’s economy, including revamping the public sector, infusing technology in agriculture, and plans to improve investment and reduce poverty.
President Rajapaksa inaugurated the fourth session of the eighth Parliament on Friday morning, inviting all to join hands to develop the country, establish peace and harmony without neglecting national security, and reject the role played by minorities as kingmakers.
The President reached the Parliament Complex at 9.30 a.m. with two security vehicles escorted by three police motorcycles deviating from traditional motorcades and mounted police.
Taking part in a simple ceremony which lacked a guard of honour, the 21-gun salute, and traditional drums and dancers, the President and First Lady Ioma Rajapaksa were received by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Secretary-General Dhammika Dassanayake, and Sergeant-at-Arms Narendra Fernando.
The quorum bell was rung at 9.55 a.m., and the President arrived in the Chamber along with the Speaker and the secretaries. He was seen being greeted by lawmakers on both sides.
The President commenced his Policy Statement at 10.05 a.m. and it lasted for 35 minutes. He adjourned the House at 10.40 a.m. at the end of the Throne Speech till 1 pm to make room for the Parliament sitting.
During the speech, he touched on the importance of restoring the respect of Parliament and the long political history of his family. President Rajapaksa devoted the lion’s share of his speech to discuss the economic challenges before Sri Lanka and the need to focus on achieving greater expectations of the public.
He pointed out that the first steps to turning around Sri Lanka’s economy has already been taken with the stimulus package, loan moratorium and restrictions on imports of spices, but insisted that much more needs to be done.
“We must ensure that the benefits of development reach every group of people. We must employ modern methodologies and indicators to gauge whether the needs of the people are truly being met and whether they are happy. It is no longer necessary to wait for elections to find out how people feel about the work program of the Government,” he said.
“We need everyone’s support for our efforts to reduce the cost of living of the people. The corporate sector must ensure that some percentage of the benefits of the tax concessions recently provided to them are passed on to the public as well. Accordingly, we expect a reduction in the price of all goods and services on which taxes have been reduced.”
The President emphasised that the main aim of the stimulus package is to ensure economic stability for all citizens, provide equal opportunities for citizens, to establish a clean and efficient State sector that is committed to public service, and to protect and empower local entrepreneurs.
“In order to successfully establish a people-centric economy, it is important that every official from the highest to the lowest level of government becomes aware of our vision and aims. That will enable them to perform their duties more productively.”
He backed implementing a special program to combat corruption and fraud. He also said legal action must be taken promptly against all who engage in corrupt practices, irrespective of their status.
“Today, most countries have employed technology as a means of enhancing the efficiency of the State sector. Through this, it will also be possible to provide equal opportunities for all. As such, we will pay special attention to increasing the use of technology in government institutions.
“If we work according to a proper plan, we will be able to encourage international businesses to locate themselves in Sri Lanka and supply goods and services to regional neighbouring countries. To encourage such investors, we must be prepared to swiftly provide all the facilities they require within Sri Lanka.”
Continued improvement of infrastructure would also be necessary and will remain a focus of the Government, Rajapaksa said. It will be broadened to include train travel and improve urbanisation issues, such as traffic.
“For economic development to occur, it is important that we accelerate improvements to the road network, including the expressways, so that travel from any one part of the country to another in a few hours becomes possible. The development of the train service is an integral part of this program. We can also help alleviate the grave problem of heavy road congestion through an efficient and comfortable train service.”
President Rajapaksa was also adamant that stronger policies are needed to support agriculture, pointing out a third of the country’s population is engaged in agriculture, plantation industries, and the fisheries sector, and the living standards of people employed must be raised. He recommended that new technology-based approaches that can develop these industries beyond traditional farming methods must be introduced.
“More attention has to be paid to the ocean economy. We will introduce a systematic program to improve the fisheries sector through the introduction of new technologies and equipment. Existing harbours will be improved and new harbours will be developed to cater to the requirements of multi-day vessels that engage in deep sea fishing.
“Introducing new technologies to further develop the inland fisheries sector is also part of our plan. Protecting the natural environment for our future generations is one of our fundamental responsibilities. We will pay special attention to environmental protection in the formulation and implementation of government policies.”
Most of the policies outlined by President Rajapaksa draws from his election manifesto, which he repeatedly referred to in his statement. The manifesto aims to increase annual growth to 6% and double per capital income from the current $4060 by 2025.
Following the Throne Speech, Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunatilake told the media at the tea party the Opposition group led by the United National Party (UNP) will take a collective decision on the President’s policy statement and would seek a debate.
During the Party Leaders meeting held in the afternoon, the Opposition lawmakers’ request for two days debate on the President’s Policy Statement was scheduled for 7 and 8 January.
UNP lawmaker Sujeewa Senasinghe, extending his best wishes to President Rajapaksa, held that the Opposition would support decisions taken for the betterment of the country and its development.
“Whatever good deeds that the Government does, we will definitely support them. Similarly, if the Government commits anything bad for the country, we will definitely criticise them. This will not be done with the intention of discouraging them but to encourage them and to get them to deliver better. That way, even if we have to take back power after five years, we will have a prosperous country to take forward,” he said.
