The Hon. Amila Prasad

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member.

¶ 02 Removing barriers to trade is the only way to ensure low-cost goods in a country. I urge the Government to take every possible step to eliminate such barriers so goods can move to and from Sri Lanka swiftly. Address delays through necessary legal and regulatory changes.

¶ 03 Hon. Minister Bimal, who presented this Bill, recently visited the Manning Market. Today, imported goods are channeled through Manning before being distributed nationwide. However, when he visited, roads into the market were closed like when a “general” minister arrives. From inside the market, I did not see practical inspections. I have a specific request: there is only one exit route for the wholesale market; congestion builds as fish market traffic and the fruit-and-vegetable market converge. With modest expenditure, please add several additional ingress/egress routes to allow fast, easy movement of goods nationwide. Reducing logistical barriers is essential; barriers raise costs and create multiple downstream issues.

¶ 04 While we debate, I must address a claim made the other day about my visit to India—that I carried Namal Rajapaksa’s bag. We went to India about six months ago, across several parties—myself, Hon. Chithral Weerakoon, and others—following an invitation facilitated by our High Commission and Dr. Samantha. She later visited Parliament and invited our parties; four MPs from our party went; the SLPP delegation also went. Seniority determines the delegation lead; thus, former Cabinet Minister and presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa led that group. Members here know this.

¶ 05 The “bag” story is absurd. A presidential candidate’s documents bag would be handled by his security, secretary, or media—not handed to an opposition MP. Such thoughts only occur to those who voted for and represent the JVP. Namal also reminded me of claims that when JVPers went to meet President Mahinda, they carried their slippers in hand at the gate. I cannot vouch for such tales. He also joked about people unable to stand straight before Mahinda. Regardless, the broader point is this: the Rajapaksas have often used the JVP for their politics—2005 posters, canvassing, TV programs—and later discarded them; they split lists and used the best propagandists before sidelining them. We will not allow ourselves to be used that way. If the JVP had not behaved as it did then, we might have been vulnerable; we thank them, ironically, for showing us how that game was played.

¶ 06 Finally, to learn state diplomatic protocol, one must travel. Without foreign exposure, people stumble—from queues to buttons. I urge the President and government leaders: when you travel abroad, bring along these “innocents” so they learn how to conduct state-to-state engagements. Otherwise, they propagate vile narratives whenever opposition MPs go overseas. Please expose them to the world. Thank you.