“US stands by Sri Lanka in good times and hard times”: Sison

Following is the address by US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele J. Sison at the Chamber of Commerce, Matara

It’s a real pleasure to be back in Matara in my four months here as the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, I have made a great effort to visit communities all around the island. I wanted to get to know people not just in Colombo, but in cities and villages in the east, north, central and south.

I first visited Matara back in November, and met with the Government Agent and Vice Chancellor of University of Ruhuna. I am here because the United States would like to continue our strong economic partnership with Sri Lanka.

The United States is the largest single export destination for Sri Lankan goods, buying over 20% of your exports. The United States Agency for International Development has also provided over two billion dollars in assistance in recent years, including in response to the tsunami which affected the south, including Matara.

We are also proud to be funding English teachers in the south through the Fulbright program, and we recently awarded a $ 100,000 dollar grant to support preservation at the beautiful and historic Galle Fort which promotes tourism to the South.

We are also funding a Turtle Conservation Project under our Youth Empowerment Grant program, helping to establish youth clubs in Rekawa village, just outside of Tangalle, with the goal of protecting sea turtle habitats.

We are continuing our Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, or TIFA, talks, which can open and encourage foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka. The new TIFA Labor Sub-Committee will help ensure that any labour concerns are resolved quickly, hopefully avoiding future GSP problems.

We do recognise the challenges: FDI reached only half the Government target of $2 billion in 2012, and US FDI remains relatively low. The Embassy has been working hard to promote US-Sri Lanka business ties:

On 7-8 February, approximately 10 companies will visit as part of the 3Cs (Chennai, Cochin, and Colombo) trade mission, organised by the US Department of Commerce.

I intend to lead a “reverse” trade mission in March or April to the US, taking top Sri Lankan CEOs to New York, Boston, and Washington D.C.

We are also preparing our 2013 Investment Climate Report on Sri Lanka, taking a fresh look at investment challenges here and trying to give investors the best picture possible of the opportunities available.

We also looking into increasing our interaction with local chambers through a concept called ‘American Business Corners’ (ABC).

The essential program would include:

A memorandum of understanding laying out our respective responsibilities

Training a Chamber staff member in the services we offer at the Embassy.

Setting aside a corner in the Chamber office to display materials on US companies and Embassy services.

Co-hosting several events a year in partnership with the Chamber.

We think the ABCs have great potential to benefit a Chamber’s membership, highlight American products and services, and enhance our economic relationship at the local level.

You’ve probably seen the headlines expressing our Government’s concern over the impeachment of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. Actions that undermine an independent Judiciary in Sri Lanka may also undermine Sri Lanka’s ability to attract foreign investment. It’s no secret that foreign investors assess the state of rule of law in a country as a factor when making investment decisions.

The impeachment called into question issues about the separation of powers in Sri Lanka and the impact of its absence on democratic institutions.

But I know that you as business leaders would agree that a key element in accomplishing the goal of a stronger business climate is an efficient legal system that meets the needs of the public and the country. That is why we are working on programs to strengthen the rule of law in Sri Lanka and have designed through USAID a new, $ 4.5 million dollar “Increased Responsiveness in the Legal System Program.”

Under this program, the United States will partner with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Justice, Judicial Services Commission, and Judges Training Institute (JTI). Through a team of 15 experts, this project will offer technical assistance to design and implement an introductory training curriculum and a continuing education program for the judiciary that will be delivered by the JTI.

The project will train Ministry of Justice and Judicial Services Commission officials to improve the planning, administration, and oversight of the legal system.

It will provide scholarships for twenty judges to complete a Master of Law program, and train court administrators and staff to improve their skills, increase the use of information technology, and promote the use of all three official languages in the legal system.

The project will also support a partnership between the Judges Training Institute and overseas judicial colleges that will act as mentor institutions for the JTI.  With concrete, practical contributions such as this, I think you can see that we are a serious partner indeed in the spheres of rule of law, justice, and good governance.

We want to continue to work with the people of Sri Lanka. The US-Sri Lankan people-to-people relationship dates back to long before independence.

For example, in the late 1800s, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, a prominent American Civil War veteran, came to Weliwatta in Galle, to the Vijaya Ananda temple, to take the five precepts of Buddhism. 

It is amazing to think about his visit to this part of the country, more than 120 years ago, and about his contributions to the revival of Buddhist culture, including contributing to the design of the Buddhist flag.

More recently, when the southern coast was hit by the Tsunami, among the first responders were U.S. Marines.

The United States Ship Duluth arrived off the coast of Galle in January 2005, carrying equipment and personnel to aid in humanitarian relief operations.

The Duluth stayed for several weeks, conducting search and rescue, removing debris, and helping cities recover from that terrible disaster.  We then moved from recovery to reconstruction work. One example was a project to restart coir yarn spinning industry in southern towns such as Kuligoda, Ambalangoda, Pereliya, and Thelwatte.

We then began the construction and rehabilitation of 100 children’s parks across 13 districts along the damaged coast of Sri Lanka.

We helped bring food, water, shelter, fishing boats, and other donated items to the affected areas.

“Crisis Corps” volunteers sent by the United States Peace Corps helped the people of Sri Lanka rebuild their lives and homes.  

These volunteers worked in conjunction with partner organisations at sites along the southern coast such as Hambantota, Matara and Galle.

I mention this to remind all of us that the US stands by Sri Lanka in good times, but we also stand by Sri Lanka in hard times.

Thank you once again for hosting me and we look forward to working together in the coming year.