Harsha slams Govt.’s “slavery policy”

Tuesday, 31 December 2013 02:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Sarah Hannan The Government is following a new slavery policy which has Sri Lankan women seeking employment in foreign countries, UNP MP Dr. Harsha De Silva charged yesterday. Speaking at a UNP-funded Women’s Empowerment Program organised by UNP MP Rosy Senanayake, he said the country cannot only depend on a

rupee - based economy and therefore has to also depend on a dollar-based economy to reach the expected level of growth as a nation. Noting that the only way to attract dollars is by exporting goods and services to other countries, he however asserted that in recent times, the export market has turned to people exports over goods and services exports. The ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ has crippled Sri Lanka’s self-sustainability with this policy, he added, stating that within the last year Sri Lanka only earned US$ 4 billion from goods and services exports but revenue generated through foreign employment was over $ 6 billion. “We need a new vision, a new policy and a new government that would look at the social issue in a fresh angle. To overcome these hurdles, a social market economy needs to be created. The UNP created a social market economy in the ’70s and this method is followed to the present day, which needs to be changed according to the social economic demands of today,” he said. The UNP MP said people were struggling to make ends meet and that mothers who used to buy 50g of powdered milk now buy a spoonful of milk in the morning to prepare a cup of tea for their child. “The financial situation of an average person is on a downward spiral. The profits gained through revenues should be equally dispersed among the community to create a better environment for the people,” he added.