PARLIAMENT

House takes up Regulations under the Agrarian Development Act, Import and Export (Control) Act and Motor Traffic Act for debate :

Due to industrial needs, ban on ethanol revised - Dr. Sarath Amunugama

Sandasen Marasinghe and Disna Mudalige

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa presided, when Parliament met at 1.00 pm yesterday. After the presentation of papers and oral questions, the House took up the Regulations under the Agrarian Development Act, the Import and Export (Control) Act and the Motor Traffic Act for debate. International Monetary Cooperation Senior Minister and Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama:

I present the regulations under the Agrarian Development Act, the Import and Export (Control) Act and the Motor Traffic Act for the approval of the House. I would like to concentrate on the regulations made under the Import and Export (Control) Act, whereas the relevant ministers would speak on the regulations made under the other two Acts.

Ethanol is a sub product of sugar production. With the improvement of sugar production in Sri Lanka and the restructuring of the Pelwatte and Sevanagala Sugar Industries, the capacity to make ethanol locally had increased.

A mechanism was needed to purchase locally made ethanol and therefore the import of ethanol had been banned.

However, we have come to realize that condense ethanol types required for industrial and research purposes, could not be produced locally. The need to release the ban had been felt and thereby we have now revised the ban to control ethanol imports to suit the requirements of the country.

Dr. Harsha de Silva (UNP):

The ethanol consignment that was illegally imported to the country was a high condensed stock. But it was imported for liquor production.

The ban was introduced saying that there was an excess of local stocks of ethanol in the country. But now the ban had been relaxed saying the local production alone was insufficient. This shows the consumption of liquor in the country was very high.

The tax income of the country was low as 11.1 percent of the GDP last year. This should be paid immediate attention to, as the country could not be taken forward in this manner.

Economic Development Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena:

About 6,000 farmers who were inconvenienced due to the amendment to the Act in a previous year, are being provided with relief from the amendments made today.

Tenant farmers would be provided with necessary facilities and solutions to their prevailing problems through these amendments. This move has been a relief to the entire farming community. The backlog of farmer complaints and their various other grievances, would be addressed within a short span of time. These regulations have been timely and important for the welfare of the farmers.

The use of chemical fertilizer on agriculture, had been discouraged due to the environment and health hazards they have posed. The use of organic fertilizer had been promoted instead. The President has taken a keen interest towards this move, paying attention to the advise of specialists in the field.

A mechanism must be formulated to cultivate bare lands

Prime Minister D M Jayaratne: When we consider tenant paddy farmers today, most of them do not cultivate while others do not cultivate in a regular manner. Owners do not engage in cultivation. However, there are around 1,800,000 acres of paddy fields. Where are the crops? Most of the youths do not like to engage in cultivation. Paddy field owners are employed sometimes in the public service. They do not allow others to cultivate there fields. So I suggest that no paddy field should be kept without cultivation. The owners have to cultivate them or allow others to cultivate them. We are planning to formulate a mechanism to cultivate those bare paddy fields. Some reclaim their paddy fields. In Gampola, it happens frequently. The officers concerned must report the matter to the police and the police should take legal action. These laws should be implemented properly to rejuvenate cultivation.

Selvam Adaikalanathan (TNA): Farmers in the North are facing many difficulties.

Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody takes the Chair.

They have no means to sell their crops at a reasonable price. Though there is a certified price for crops, there is no means initiated by the government to buy their crops. The farmers in the North are in a difficult situation.

Transport Minister Kumara Welgama: It had been discussed during the Regulations under the Motor Traffic Act that in this developing era a 1000 cc motor bicycle was a necessity to Sri Lanka. The vehicle registration fee had been increased by 10 percent. If a lorry below the 1000 cc capacity mostly used by common people needed to change the body of a lorry, a sum of Rs 25,000 was charged by the RMV. Due to the intervention of Minister Basil Rajapaksa, it had been reduced to Rs 500. If someone had failed to register a motorcycle, a fine was imposed after a period of one month. This had been extended to 6 months. Motorcycles have to be registered within a period of 30 days of import. The registration period had been amended that it should be registered within 90 days after it was sold by the owners.

Potato farmers facing serious issues

Vijitha Herath (DNA): The government has no money. That was the reason why a tax had been imposed on the import of spirit. Though the government had introduced the ‘Mathata Thitha’ conception, it had been a lie. The government earns money through the sale of liquor. Today there is an issue for potato farmers.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa playing key role in development

A H M Azwer (UPFA): Sri Lanka is emerging as a new country in the Indian Ocean, after the elimination of terrorism. America, Japan, UK and Germany are amazed to see the development taking place in Sri Lanka. Minister Basil Rajapaksa is playing a key role in these developments. We are going to have a railway line to Beliatta. The LTTE destroyed the railway in the North and used the sleepers to build bunkers. The UNP Leader had never condemned these heinous acts.

A drop in export earnings

Lakshman Kiriella (UNP): There is a drop in export income of the country in the past two years. Compared to year 2011, there had been a 75 percent drop in export revenue in the year 2012. Compared to the first three months of 2012, there had been an 18.2 percent drop in the export revenue in the first three months of 2013. For the first time in Sri Lankan’s history, the total income of the state had been inadequate to pay off the loan instalments and their due interests. In 2012, in Kandy alone, 11 garment factories had been closed down.

The government is boasting about its massive development projects, however tax income to the country had decreased. If their projects had been successful, the tax revenue should have been increased. Their projects have not granted any benefits to the country.

Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera: The constant prediction of the UNP during the fast few years, had been that this regime would collapse the day after because of its economic mismanagement.

Hunais Farook takes the Chair:

But still this regime rules successfully and it is being strengthened day by day. The economy of the country is also improving. Foreign nations and organizations would not give loans if they had no confidence concerning repayments.

But Sri Lanka still receives foreign loans without much fuss, which shows their confidence on the economic revival of the country. The present regime initiated a number of power projects which the UNP hesitated to initiate. The people are receiving the benefits of their power projects.

Tenant farmers have been strengthened by the amendments made to the Act today. The problems of the tenant farmers had been addressed.

We have now ended an era, where we imported food for local consumption. Instead, we have started a new era, where our food productions are being exported for the consumption of the world.

UNP had not betrayed its former leaders

Sujeewa Senasinghe (UNP):

The UNP does not betray its former leaders as the ruling regime does. We take the responsibilities collectively for the past actions of our party leaders.

Except for paddy and maize cultivation and other cultivations, especially the export crops had further decreased.

Look into the statistics, and you would realize the truth. Tea, rubber and coconut exports should be improved.

The promises given to war heroes have not been fulfilled. Only a few houses have been constructed for Ranaviru families.

The war heroes could be bestowed with a piece of land for cultivation. Why does the government not consider such progressive proposals?

Social Services Minister Felix Perera:

The Buddha said everybody depends on food. However, a large number of people are suffering from hunger. Some children are dying due to starvation. However, in Sri Lanka, nobody had died due to starving. The present regime had given their foremost attention to the agro-economy of the country. Sri Lanka is self sufficient in many food crops.

Lenin once said: ‘Electricity’ could be considered a synonym for ‘communism? Today, the present regime had been able to provide electricity to about 95 percent of the people in the country. It plans to provide electricity to all.

Proper laws to protect tenant farmers have not been implemented

Deputy Chairman of Committee Chandrakumar Murugesu takes the Chair:

P. Harison (UNP):

After independence was achieved, almost all governments have taken various steps to protect tenant farmers. Although there are laws to protect around 275,000 tenant farmers in number, they had not been properly implemented.

Health Deputy Minister Lalith Dissanayake: The opposition always thinks negatively.

The UNP established a government for the first time. But it never took measures to protect tenant farmers or agriculture. But it was the SLFP led governments who always took measures to protect farmers, agriculture, develop transport and other national problems.

This government has been able to bring down poverty and bring down inflation to a single digit. During the UNP regime in 2002, not a single public servant had been recruited in place of those who retired.

Ravi Karunanayake (UNP):

Why are expensive imported vehicles not taxed?

My question is if the milk, tinned food and other food items consumed by the poor people are taxed, why are those expensive vehicles not taxed? The issue in the garment industry is not that we don’t have orders, but we don’t have the labour. We have to formulate a mechanism to develop the export sector.

Transport Deputy Minister Rohana Kumara Dissanayake: The entire country is aware that the Sathosa had gone bankrupt during the time when Ravi Karunanayake was minister. After Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected president, during the 8 years many areas have been developed, including roads, health, education, living standards and rural development. We have been thinking of developing roads and transport to achieve targets of zero congestion, zero accidents on roads and zero pollution. The opposition speaks of electricity bills, but in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan there are around 8 hour power cuts daily, whereas we provide electricity round the clock.

Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody takes the Chair:

The three motions were passed.

The President respects the labour community

At Adjournment

There was solid confidence among the working community for President Mahinda Rajapaksa, due to his policies and visions, which had been evident in the previous May Day rally, said Labour and Labour Relations Minister Gamini Lokuge.

He made this observation in response to an adjournment motion moved by UPFA MP Arundika Fernando.

Arundika Fernando (UPFA): The Public Service had grown up under the regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Public Service too has been strengthened and nurtured by the present regime. The President after assuming duties in 2005, granted the rights and job security to the labour community.

When the President assumed duties, the public service cadre was 600,000. It had now grown up to 1.3 million. Graduates are extremely thankful to the President for this move. A massive crowd supported the UPFA May Day rally this year. We saw an unprecedented crowd on May 1.

We must be thankful to the people for joining hands with us on May Day

A H M Azwer (UPFA): This year’s May Day was a landmark in the political history of the UPFA. The people have embraced the policies and visions of the President. Incessant crowds witnessed at the May Day rally of the UPFA, was a proof of this fact.

Labour and Labour Relations Minister Gamini Lokuge: There are several factors why the labour community supported the President to the first and the main reason in the conclusion of the three decade long war. The people could live and move without fear today. When there are trade union issues, the President always looked forward for discussions to arrive at a win-win situation.Therefore, the working community has confidence in the President. There had been no strike in the country last year over the demands of the workers. The President respects and loves the labour community.

Parliament was adjourned until 1 p.m to day.