Co-Cabinet Spokesman and Plantation Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is of the view that development should be imparted to the people in the Northern Province without any discrimination.
The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said the Government is looking forward to extending its friendly hand to the Tamil diaspora to resolve the issues in Sri Lanka. If somebody is having misconceptions about the Government, we want to come to a table to discuss such matters and iron out those differences.
The Minister said despite a few grievances here and there which are blown out of proportion by a section of the media, all Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities in the country live in peace and harmony and there is no racial violence against any community. It is happy to understand that the UN Secretary General is also of the same view. He has also commended and appreciated the work done by the Government.
Excerpts
Q: How do you view President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s address to the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York?
A: Basically, the President outlined the country’s situation and the pandemic scenario and even in that backdrop how the country is facing difficulties in relation to health issues and the economic situation. Generally, we all are hopeful once the pandemic comes to a situation, especially with the vaccination program in Sri Lanka, tourism would bounce back and things would come back to normalcy. We keep our fingers crossed.
The President in his address to the UN underlined the fact that most countries have faced the pandemic. He appreciated the commitment from the WHO and the United Nations. Under that umbrella, our country has also received certain benefits which are commendable. As a nation, we appreciate that. But as the President mentioned, we are looking forward to a better tomorrow.
Q: The President in his meeting with the UN Secretary General said that the Tamil diaspora would be invited for discussions to resolve the issues in Sri Lanka through an internal mechanism. Your views?
A: As a party and the Government, we are duty bound to protect the rights of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people irrespective of their nationality, race and religion. We are open-minded about it. By ending the battle against terrorism in 2009, we have not only protected the rights of the Sinhala people but also the rights of the Tamil people of the country. When the LTTE was fighting against the Security Forces, at certain times, Tamil people underwent more hardships than what Sinhalese people faced. Our heroic forces not only liberated the country from the clutches of the ruthless terrorist outfit but also provided much needed freedom to the Tamil people of the country.
We are confident having ended the battle against terrorism at that time. We not only resurrected the lives of the Tamil people in the Northern part of the country but also brought much development to the Northern and Eastern provinces under the leadership of then President Mahinda Rajapaksa. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is of the view that development should be imparted to the people in the Northern Province without any discrimination.
The Government is looking forward to extending its friendly hand to the Tamil diaspora to resolve the issues in Sri Lanka. We have no discrimination at all. If somebody is having misconceptions about the Government, we want to come to a table to discuss such matters and iron out those differences.
Q: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has told President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that the UN will provide its full support to Sri Lanka in moving forward to promote unity among different communities. Would you like to comment?
A: Despite a few grievances here and there which are blown out of proportion by a section of the media, all Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities in the country live in peace and harmony. There is no racial violence against any community in the country. That is the truth about the ground situation. It is happy to understand that the UN Secretary General is also of the same view. He has also commended and appreciated the work done by the Government.
Q: Following the UK’s decision to remove Sri Lanka from the red list, steps are being taken to remove Sri Lanka from the red lists of other countries as well. How would this affect Sri Lanka?
A: We are one of the countries which have vaccinated hundred percent of those who are above 30 years old which is the most vulnerable age group for Covid-19 infection. We have hundred percent covered that age group. With that, the level of immunity of the people who are in the most vulnerable age group is developing significantly.
We will have a relatively much better and a safer society by the end of September. We have opened the doors for the tourists to come to Sri Lanka. That would be further strengthened from October since we have concluded an effective vaccination program. We have also started the vaccination of those who are 18 years. When we fully vaccinate 60 percent of the population, we will be a much safer country than any other country.
Q: The World Health Organization (WHO) has lauded Sri Lanka for fully vaccinating 50 percent of the the population. Could you explain?
A: We must salute everybody in the health sector and also those who have immensely contributed from the Security Forces. All these efforts came to a success as the President paid special attention to bring vaccines from different countries.
Because of the President’s efforts, we got the assistance of all manufacturers to supply their vaccines to Sri Lanka. Despite various criticisms, the President was concentrating on the vaccination drive. He managed to source all vaccines from the manufacturers from different countries. As a result, the country has become a safe place now.
Q: What is the outcome of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent visit to Italy to attend the G20 Interfaith Forum?
A: That was an invitation extended to the Prime Minister by an organisation to attend that international conference. The Premier during his visit had met some of the dignitaries including the higher-level Government officials of Italy.
Bilateral discussions had also taken place there. The views regarding tourism and economic development were expressed. The relations between the two countries were further strengthened as a result of the Prime Minister’s visit.
Q: How do you view the demand by certain sections to conduct a formal inquiry to trace the masterminds behind the deletion of data of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA)?
A: The Chairman of the NMRA has complained to the CID which has initiated a full-scale investigation into the incident. The probe will reveal what has gone wrong. There are different views and thoughts on what has taken place. We are of the view that this is nothing more than a mistake by the people who were involved in it. But the truth is yet to be revealed. The CID will conduct an impartial and transparent inquiry and bring culprits to the book.
Q: It was revealed in Parliament that the former Yahapalana Government has spent an extraordinary amount of money to purchase certain drugs from 2015 to 2019. Will the Government conduct a full-scale investigation in this regard?
A: Surely. State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana, who covers the subject, made a lengthy statement in Parliament regarding this. If somebody has gone ahead without a proper tender procedure, that has to be investigated. The State Minister and the Health Ministry are looking into those matters now.
Q: Despite the assurance by the Government to sort out the salary anomaly and other issues faced by the teachers and Principals, trade unions continue their trade union action by disrupting the education of students. Would you like to elaborate your views?
A: As the Government, we request all the teachers and the Principals to come back to work in the backdrop of this difficult scenario, especially for the wellbeing of the students. Some 4.2 million students of the country are going through a difficult time despite having certain facilities such as online education. It is not like having the physical presence in school and going ahead with their education.
The Government has come forward to suggest a solution with a decent pay hike. While we acknowledge the fact that we need to provide a long-lasting solution to 24-year-old grievances of the salary anomaly of teachers, the Government has taken a decision considering all the aspects that we are facing economically in this difficult scenario. We humbly request all the teachers and Principals to accept this solution and report to work and provide educational support to students.
Q: Small and medium scale entrepreneurs have faced severe hardships due to the inability to carry out their daily business activities. Has the Government laid emphasis to provide relief to them?
A: The Government has constantly provided relief to the needy. We have spent over Rs.80 billion to provide relief to the people who had undergone difficulties during this lockdown period. But the Government cannot go ahead providing all such reliefs indefinitely because the Government’s income levels have come down to a very low level.
That is mainly because of the issues related to foreign remittances, foreign exchange revenue and foreign currency and also decline in local income. As all these income sources are drying up, we cannot provide the support to the needy continuously. That is why, as a Government, we try to open the economy as early as possible so that the people will come back to normalcy and start their day-today life. Small and medium scale entrepreneurs can restart their daily business activities.
Q: Former Prison Reforms Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara has urged the President to remove State Minister Rohan Ratwatte from his remaining portfolio of Gem and Jewellery Related Industries as he has committed an offence that has triggered global ramifications against Sri Lanka. Has any decision been taken by the Government to appoint a Committee to look into this incident?
A: Justice Minister Ali Sabry has made a request to the Cabinet to appoint a Committee to look into this incident. We will appoint a special Committee to probe into what has happened. Once we get the Committee report, the action taken against the State Minister will be decided.
Q: The Opposition and certain sections attempt to misinterpret the emergency regulations declared on essential commodities. Your comments?
A: We have categorically said the fact that emergency regulations were brought only to regulate the prices and to ensure that consumers get decent prices for the goods they purchase. Some traders raised the prices of rice and sugar to unprecedented and unexpected levels. We have imposed emergency laws to control only that.
However, the Government is committed to ensuring democracy. There is no hindrance or threat to it. The freedom of the press, Opposition and the expression of views of the people are protected. They can show any protest against the Government. We will ensure that they have a right to do so. The freedom of expression is very much protected under the Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.