The Hon. Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, within this Vote I am prepared to present several points focusing primarily on foreign employment.

¶ 02 We know that foreign workers are the main group who bring in money to run this country.

¶ 03 Our economy, once based on tea, coconut and rubber, was pulled back and torn down, and after 1977 under the new liberal economy, it was human labour that kept our country alive. That new liberal economy began with major disorder. Now, as a Government that came to fix it, we are changing that disordered situation and moving this country forward with order. I believe a large part of the work relating to foreign employment lies with the Hon. Minister under this subject.

¶ 04 The Hon. Hector Appuhamy spoke earlier. He kept saying he is reminding this Government. That suggests to an uninformed person that earlier Governments had a good system which we have forgotten. But in truth, what should be said is: we are asking this Government to do things that they never even thought of doing.

¶ 05 Especially after 1977, people were sent for foreign employment without any proper system. That was mainly to the Middle East, sending women as domestic workers. The then Government did not establish a proper system to send trained workers. The driver was rural poverty. Some with trades like carpentry or masonry could go to the Middle East. But for those without vocational training there was no system; women were sent for domestic work. Our mothers, who used to tend to jackfruit and paddy, were sent abroad.

¶ 06 I do not say this disrespectfully. Once they went, problems came. Many faced grave issues, even lost limbs and lives, and returned. The tragedy began there. With the woman abroad, the family falls into crisis; the country too suffers within that economic order. The husband ends up idling under the kitul tree. Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne wrote a raw song for them: “Budu thaatthe bonna epa” — because a raw, direct message was needed then. It touched those families. Children grew up without mothers; social tragedy grew. Then came drugs; the father drank, the son turned to narcotics. Today the song would be “Budu puthe ice epa.” That is how the tragedy evolved. Under this Ministry we must correct this and build a better framework.

¶ 07 We must create trained workers to send abroad. For that, two components are key: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the foreign employment section, and agencies like the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority, and the Education Ministry and others.

¶ 08 Once we visited the Philippines. Their Finance Ministry officials told us their main revenue stream was sending “nurses” abroad. We thought they truly sent nurses. No. They train women as “nurses” and then send them into domestic service; because of the qualification they earn more than our untrained workers doing the same work. That is the difference.

¶ 09 In the Philippines after World War II, men were fewer; women became the backbone. Gender ratios cannot be artificially changed; thus their economy rests on women.

¶ 10 We have failed to regularize this service. Now we must. Many of these measures are included in the Budget.

¶ 11 I must also raise a serious injustice to our workers in Cyprus. Many who worked there, some now over 60, have even passed away. Cyprus has a social security fund; workers contribute 7.5% monthly and employers contribute 7.5% — 15% in total is due to our migrant workers. From our organization “Ethara Api” we studied how to retrieve these funds and briefed Ministers. Sadly, past administrations failed institutionally. Hon. Vijitha Herath has a big challenge. We must bring this money. A major reason is the lack of a Sri Lankan embassy in Cyprus. I urge you to act swiftly to open it and retrieve these funds. A grave injustice has occurred.

¶ 12 A former Prime Minister went to Cyprus and questioned why wages were so high, angering our workers, who pelted rotten eggs. That shows our rulers did not understand the suffering of our workers. They toil in heat and cold, get cracked hands, immense hardship, and remit money to our economy. Yet a leader said their pay was too high — of course they reacted. Therefore, this Ministry has much to fix to bring in the foreign exchange due to us. I believe the Minister and the young Deputy Minister can deliver.

¶ 13 Thank you.