State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation Dr. Seetha Arambepola said Budget 2021 has focused not only on the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, but, overall introduced a mechanism to increase Government revenue, develop human resources, education and health sectors.
In an interview with the Sunday Observer, the State Minister said if we only mention the minor issues that are short term in the Budget, it would not help to develop the country. Issues such as providing relief to the people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic will be carried out through the Presidential Task Force, Itukama Fund and other local authorities. In any Budget, there are proposals for future planning so that it is not only focused on a particular year but decides on the country’s future, the economy, human resources, national security and agriculture.
Q: As a medical specialist do you think the Government has effectively tackled the second wave of Covid-19 threat despite the Opposition allegation to the contrary?
A: Covid-19 is a different kind of disaster. It is a virus and an infection, unlike terrorism or any other natural calamity. It is an unpredictable disease as nobody in the world is yet aware about the true nature of the disease. Even though various vaccines are produced, still there are lots of unknowns.
Therefore, the second wave of Covid-19 is a different calamity in other countries as well. Sometimes, we could do something different and achieve different results. Anybody can argue. But, we don’t know how this virus acts and how the people act on this disaster. Although we have managed the first wave well the spread of the second wave is different.
The Health Ministry, the Covid-19 committee and the Tri-Forces are doing their best to control spread of the virus. We have been able to control the second wave to this extent because of their intervention. We know how many Covid-19 affected people have got cured.
Normally, we get the count from the number of deaths and Covid-19 affected people. However, it includes the people who were cured as well. We cannot compare this with the first wave. All other countries also behave differently as regards the second wave. Human capacity exhausts at some level, it is a common phenomenon. Even in the health sector, the same team is engaged, including the PHIs and others.
Sometimes, their capacity may reduce compared to the first wave, but with the knowledge gained through the first wave they carry out their part courageously without panicking as earlier. They are doing their best and controlling the pandemic, sacrificing all other duties for this.
Q: As a newcomer to national politics, could you give the reasons for the political debacle of the Yahapalana Government?
A: Even though I am a newcomer to politics, as a citizen I am well aware of what happened in politics over the past few decades. Any Government can act in their own way, but ultimately the public will decide on their fate. That is why the Yahapalana Government faced a humiliating defeat at the past two elections.
It’s of no use talking about it repeatedly, but we have to make sure such things do not happen during our administration.
Everybody knows what happened to the economy and the national security during the Yahapalana Government. Those who were in the Yahapalana Government now behave as if they can’t remember anything and are giving new advice.
Q: What is the present role of Viyathmaga? Does it still function and if so in what capacity?
A: Viyathmaga is an organisation of professionals who came forward to give their intellectual contribution. However, the people misunderstood and thought Viyathmaga was formed for the professionals to contest the election.
That was not the ultimate goal and the mandate of our organisation. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the Chairman of the Viyathmaga organisation and he still holds that position. Viyathmaga was formed to gain intellectual contribution towards the President’s endeavour to make Sri Lanka a better and prosperous country.
The members of the organisation contributed towards the President’s national policy framework ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’ and helped prepare it. Some professionals in the organisation were given key Government positions.
A few of them were selected to enter national politics, based on their capabilities. However, it doesn’t mean that nominations should be given to Viyathmaga members to contest elections as it was formed for a different task. Even today, we work as volunteers and the President has assigned various responsibilities to the members.
Over 15 professionals of Viyathmaga function as chairmen and directors, and thereby contribute through the Government policies as they have the authority to do so. Besides contributing to prepare national policies we also produced a full-fledged leader. Now we have a visionary leader who has a vast knowledge of science, technology and security. He is a genuine leader. These are the things we wished to achieve through Viyathmaga.
Q: The Opposition says Budget 2021 has failed to provide any relief to the people who are seriously affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Your comments?
A: The people have misunderstood the Budget. All Budgets have proposals for future planning.
It does not focus on a particular year but decides the country’s future, economy, human resource, national security and agriculture. We plan every aspect through the Budget, aiming at long term progress.
If we only mention minor issues that are short term, it will not help to develop the country. Issues such as providing relief to the people will be carried out through the Presidential Task Force, Itukama Fund and other local authorities and will be continued due to the Covid-19 situation.
Perhaps, in the next month, we may be able to get a vaccine and control this disease.
Why must we plan for uncertain things through a valuable document like the Budget? We can perform them without the Budget. The Budget shows our proposals for the development of the country and improvement of the socio-economic condition of the people. We have introduced a mechanism to increase Government revenue, develop human resources, education and health sectors. The Budget doesn’t focus only on the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country. Certainly, we have to look after the affected people but that will be done through other Government mechanisms.
Q: What is your view of the silent protest by the main Opposition SJB in front of the Presidential Secretariat on December 7 against Government suppression, demanding that the Government should reveal the true situation of the Mahara prison riots ?
A: When you are in the Opposition, you have a duty to fulfil. I think they are accomplishing that task. Otherwise, they can’t survive. We have to look at it from that perspective. We don’t wish to disturb them, they are free to hold any protests.
That is the way the Opposition always behaves. However, the Minister and the State Minister responded to the Opposition allegation regarding the Mahara prison incident. Investigations into the Mahara prison riots are continuing. We have to wait for the full report of the expert committee. We can’t judge things from the exterior, as we don’t know what really happened.
The expert committee and other relevant authorities will reveal their findings.
However, there are limitations as to how much you can expose. We have to respect privacy and personal aspects. Even in the case of a patient we can’t reveal all details of illness to the public. Likewise, we can’t expose all the details of the prisoners. We have to act legally and ethically.
Q: Do you think the ongoing investigations into the Easter Sunday bombings would be able to bring the culprits to book?
A: Raising concern over this incident is important because then everybody will be alerted. The President is very much concerned about this matter. We should be able to get the correct result if we wait for the legal judgement.
However, we have to raise concern from time to time. It would encourage the authorities to take speedy action and punish all those who are responsible for this grave misdeed.
Q: Don’t you think the TNA and other political parties in the North should cooperate with the Government if they are genuinely interested to solve the issues of their people?
A: The TNA still follows the same separatist agenda for their mere political survival. Such politicians survive with issues faced by society. If the poverty has decreased, the economy is stable and the health condition is good, the TNA politicians can’t survive.
In the past decades these politicians sold the issues of their people during election times.
If the people are poor, the politicians have an issue to talk about, not just in the North but everywhere in the country. We have to get together and settle the issues of poverty, infrastructure and education without making use of it for political survival.
This has nothing to do with any ethnicity or religion. These are human problems. If we settle the human problems, the TNA politicians will not have a political future. That is why they always try to create a conflict among the ethnic groups and survive in between the issues.
Q: As a professional how do you view the completion of one year in office in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Government?
A: I think it has been a well-planned and well organised period even facing global challenges. Every country is facing the Covid-19 pandemic. Irrespective of whether they are a rich, poor or intermediate country, they have faced this issue with great difficulties.
This calamity is not a simple issue, everybody is suffering. In this context, the President is formulating plans for the future and always discusses with the Ministers and Secretaries. We have to wait and see the results. We have to study the situation in other European countries which have more economic, scientific and military stability.
As a developing country we are facing the issue with minimum facilities of health, education and transport. As State Ministers we have been assigned special tasks. You can see how many future development plans came through this Budget.
For example, even in my Ministry nobody could achieve the target of giving scholarships to vocational training students in the past decade but we have achieved that goal. It is an investment made on the human resource.
Q: Are you satisfied with the role of the Opposition at this time of national tragedy?
A: I think that is an attitudinal problem in Sri Lanka. The Opposition always tries to capture power and the Government tries to sustain their power. The Opposition thinks it is their duty to create issues and criticise the Government for their survival.
They should realise that if we get together we can successfully face the Covid-19 pandemic and other global issues. The Opposition should think twice before they capitalise on these issues.
Q: Many professionals are of the view that our universities should concentrate more on research and development as in advanced countries. Your comments?
A: Actually, the universities do not come under my Ministry. I am responsible for research and innovation. We propose to draft a National Policy for research. We have to ensure that research is conducted based on issues to improve human resources. We have to concentrate on fundamental and applied research. Often there is no regulation on researches conducted in Sri Lanka.
Different institutions adopt different strategies and the data are not properly used in the national interest. We plan to draft a national policy and form a national agency for innovation. We are trying to regularise all researches conducted in Sri Lanka.
Ultimately we can get data to a one point and share them for national issues. We want to give our knowledge and knowhow to other Ministries to improve their subjects.
Q: What are the institutions and their functions to train local youth in skills development?
A: We have many institutions starting from the Vocational Training Authority (VTA), Vocational Training Universities and Technical Colleges. Eight institutions come under the purview of our Ministry.
We will regularise all the institutions starting from the VTA to the Universities of Technology. We are trying to get more students to this stream and give them advanced training. In the future, we will be able to double the number of students who gain vocational training through our institutions. We have a good system but we have to strengthen it.
Q: When Sri Lanka needs more professionals and specialists, what made you give up your specialist medical profession and choose politics?
A: When you are engaged in one profession, even though you want to make changes to national things it is not possible.
Whenever a mistake occurs when engaging in your professional framework, you need to have authority to change the national issues.
If I can contribute to national issues in this manner, I can go back to my profession any time in the future. It is politics where you get the chance to involve in policy making and set up national policies. We are concerned on certain issues in the education sector and how policy making opportunities were used by others.
As a professional I can contribute much to this sector. There are many doctors to look after the health profession. It is rarely that you get the chance to involve in ruling, policy making and establishing national policies. I think I made use of that opportunity.