Concerned about not getting a Ministerial post
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP S.B. Dissanayake expressed concerns about not getting a Ministerial post in the current Government. Amidst speculations about a Cabinet reshuffle, he responds to questions in this regard during an interview with Daily Mirror.
Excerpts:
- Tourism and remittances from our expatriate workers have been hit by the pandemic. Our exports revenue from apparels, tea, rubber and coconut dwindled.
- If I remained in the SLFP, I would have secured a ministerial slot reserved for that party in the present Cabinet.
- The SLPP formed by him capitalized on the popularity of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa and public recognition of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s performance
Q You remained a Cabinet Minister for a long time. Now, you are only the chairman of the Nuwara-Eliya District Development Coordinating Committee. What do you feel about your relegation to this level?
Actually, I had held this position during the time of late Minister Saumyamurthy Thondaman (a Minister in the 1980s and 1990s) as well. It is not something new to me. However, I have not got a ministerial post this time.
Q Are you concerned about it?
(Laughs) Yes, I am concerned about not getting a Ministerial post.
Q We learn from media reports that you are going to get one. How true is it?
I also read what is appearing in newspapers. Otherwise, I don’t know anything. I don’t inquire about it from anyone.
Q What is your assessment of the performance of this government during the last couple of years in the midst of the pandemic?
The pandemic has triggered crises not only for Sri Lanka but also for the whole world. In Great Britain, the economy shrunk by 22 percent. There was a negative economic growth of 9.7 percent there. In India, it is a negative growth of 12.7 percent. Ours was a negative growth of 3.8 percent. We prevented our situation from taking a turn for the worse. In a way, it is an achievement. It is great that we contained the first wave of Covid-19 successfully. Today, we have difficulties. In one way, the government’s revenue has dropped. Tourism was our main source of foreign exchange. Then, we had remittances from our expatriate workers. Both these sectors have been hit by the pandemic. Our exports revenue from apparels, tea, rubber and coconut dwindled. This is not a problem that affected only us in the world. We are placed in a difficult situation. We are a small country.
But, we have an opportunity to get out of this crisis. That is nothing but China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI). Sri Lanka is positioned at a nerve centre of this silk route project. Colombo Port City is now in place abutting the silk route project. We stand the chance of linking Colombo port, Hambantota port and the Mattala airport to this project. With that, we can jumpstart our economic growth after the pandemic is over. We have to position ourselves for it. But, we have lapses on our part in our attempt to seize this opportunity.
Q What are those weak areas we have?
I don’t think we have taken sufficient investment-friendly measures as far as the port city is concerned. When former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping opened his country, he invited foreign investors to take lands on lease for periods as long as possible and develop them. Singapore is a country of only 728 square kilometres- only nine square kilometres larger than the entire Colombo district. It is only half the size of the Gampaha district. Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew took steps to reclaim lands from the sea by filling it with sand brought from elsewhere. He brought water from Malaysia and generators from Japan to get energy. He beautified the country with trees and plants obtained from Sri Lanka. Then, he invited investors to get land and invest. That is how he developed his country. Then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad talked about leasing out lands for 99 to 999 years. Today, Malaysia’s per capita income is US $ 12,000 and Singapore’s US $ 58, 000. China has almost reached the level of the U. S. in terms of economic development. China is bound to be the world’s largest power in another seven or eight years. These countries have improved their rankings in the Ease of Doing Business Index. We are still ranked 99 in it. It means Sri Lanka is not attractive to investors. The Department of Statistics did a survey once on entrepreneurs in the non-agricultural sector. According to it, 91.7 percent of them are micro level entrepreneurs. Medium level entrepreneurs, employing more than 100 workers each, account for only 0.2 percent.
Q You are saying that concessions announced under the port city project are not sufficient enough. But, the government faced a lot of criticism and challenges from the opposition even in granting such insufficient concessions as you said. What is your view?
That is being foolhardy. If we succumb to such protests, we cannot develop this country. For example, Deng Xiaoping controlled all kinds of protests within the country and developed his country by opening it for investors. There were immense protests and agitations from the students’ movement. The students were aware of Marxism and Maoism only. But, Deng Xiaoping overcame all obstacles and developed the country. He clamped down on protests ruthlessly. A large number of students died.
That is the secret behind China’s success today, though. In Singapore, the opposition is kept at bay and under control by the government. The opposition is kept under control in Malaysia. The opposition is not allowed to go wild. Even the media is not allowed to go wild. I am not asking for such harsh controls. But, we cannot develop the country if we give into such protests.
Q You say the BRI is an opportunity for Sri Lanka. Now, G7 countries have mooted the ‘Build Back Better World (B3W) to counter it. There is the possibility of Sri Lanka getting sandwiched between the interests of the superpowers. How can we address it?
That has to be balanced. Ours is a non-aligned country. India has also not joined BRI. But, we cannot antagonize India. We need to strike the right balance. We are a small country. We have to benefit from all and proceed. But, the BRI is an opportunity for us. The U.S. tried to take hold of us by signing the MCC agreement. It is good that we declined to sign it. But, we should go for U.S. projects which are economically beneficial to us.
Q You are a former Agriculture Minister. What is your view on the government’s move to introduce organic agriculture?
In the absence of fertilizer subsidy in my time, I managed to increase paddy price from Rs. 14 to 24 a kilo. We produced a surplus of rice in 2003. Then, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake took over as the Agriculture Minister. Afterwards, rice farming crumbled. Sri Lanka is the only country in South Asia to create a better market for organic agricultural produce. All the countries in the region have international rivers. But, we don’t have. If we produce organic crops, the world will accept it as a result. But, our crop yields will drop because of organic manure.
We have to be ready for it. There will be those who are in denial of it. But, I know that the harvest reduction is inevitable. We cannot feed required nitrogen content to crop plants through organic fertilizer. We can address this issue only by improving the texture of our soil. There are no sufficient microbes in our soil for it. With the excessive application of chemical fertilizer, we have destroyed our soil condition. It is a commendable move that we decided to ban chemical farming.
Today, there are hordes of people manufacturing organic fertilizer. But, we have to examine ingredients used in the process. We have to evolve the right criterion for manufacturing organic fertilizer. I salute the president for taking up this challenge. Still, I believe the mechanism is not in place.
"If I remained in the SLFP, I would have secured a ministerial slot reserved for that party in the present Cabinet. I joined the SLPP because some responsible SLFP members were in touch with Mr. Sajith Premadasa discreetly. That is why 16 seniors of the party including me teamed up with the SLPP. More than anyone else, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa loves the SLFP, a party with paternal links for him. Political deterioration of SLFP and UNP does not bode well for the country. I don’t think these parties can be resurrected in the manner they are run today."
Q If the harvest drops, it will affect food security of the country. What is your view?
In 2003, we produced a surplus. At that time, we had not liberated the north and the east. So, agricultural activities were not taking place properly in these two provinces. However, after the liberation of the north and the east, it is not that difficult to produce a surplus of rice. In 2003, I managed to increase the harvest only by offering a better price for farmers. If the government offers attractive prices for the agricultural produce, the people will increase cultivation.
The introduction of organic agriculture will affect the Nuwara-Eliya district the worst because it is difficult to cultivate upcountry vegetable varieties with organic fertilizer. However, the government says it will import some stocks of agro-chemicals to be used against pest attacks on potato cultivations.
As a substitute for insecticide, we can use a locally made concoction. There are various indigenous methods used in pest controls.
Q What do you think of the appointment of Mr. Basil Rajapaksa as the Finance Minister?
Mr. Basil Rajapaksa is the one who founded Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). By doing so, he relegated the status of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to the lowest ebb despite it being a party to the government at that time. He played the pivotal role in this regard. Therefore, he has every right to enter Parliament. The SLPP formed by him capitalized on the popularity of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa and public recognition of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s performance as the defence secretary and the secretary to urban development, and made giant strides in politics. Above all, SLPP’s victory at the 2018 local government election was crucial for it to win the elections that followed. Therefore, Mr. Basil Rajapaksa has every right to become a minister. Nobody can dispute it.
Q In your view, can he perform economic miracles?
The whole world is in an economic crisis. Therefore, nobody can perform miracles. But, Mr. Basil Rajapaksa is a good manager. With his personal links to the president and the prime minister, he can perform better than others.
Q Are you ready to work with him if you are given a ministerial post?
I have no issue in working with him. I like him as a politician. He is a target-minded politician. He makes a target and pursues it.
Q Some people say his entry will create problems with alliance partners. What is your view?
There may be. But, those issues will be sorted out. The Rajapaksas are capable of crisis management. If any problem crops up, it will be sorted out. I joined the SLPP at the invitation of the prime Minister and Mr. Basil Rajapaksa. Actually, the 52-day government was formed in my house. I was named the Chief Government Whip of that government.
If I remained in the SLFP, I would have secured a ministerial slot reserved for that party in the present Cabinet. I joined the SLPP because some responsible SLFP members were in touch with Mr. Sajith Premadasa discreetly. That is why 16 seniors of the party including me teamed up with the SLPP. More than anyone else, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa loves the SLFP, a party with paternal links for him. Political deterioration of SLFP and UNP does not bode well for the country. I don’t think these parties can be resurrected in the manner they are run today.
