The Hon. J.C. Alawathuwala

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I wish to remind the House about two sectors under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that bring the largest foreign exchange: foreign employment and tourism. Today, two State Ministers said that when they assumed office “everything was destroyed”, and some Cabinet Ministers said there were fuel queues when they took over. But the statistics do not corroborate that narrative. You took office at the end of 2024.

¶ 02 Tourism and foreign employment are crucial. Our country’s bankruptcy and the sectoral crises were precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the global tourism industry to a halt. We lost nearly USD 4 billion within 1.5 to 2 years. Foreign employment earnings also fell sharply. Hence these sectors are vital. As an experienced Minister, Hon. Vijitha Herath, you must ensure proper execution. Judging by the words and conduct of the two State Ministers, I do not have much confidence; they lack experience and must learn and be supported.

¶ 03 On foreign employment, remittances were USD 5,969 million in 2023, and USD 6,575 million in 2024. That reflects cohorts who migrated in prior years, typically on two-year contracts. The Chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment says the target this year is to send 350,000 workers. I say, by December you cannot meet that target, because the Ministry has not implemented the necessary programme. A State Minister talked about ticket prices here—such matters belong in court if there are issues; what matters is meeting targets. Our debt is in dollars; foreign employment is a key contributor.

¶ 04 This sector is largely run through private agents. Therefore, regulation by the Ministry and the SLBFE is essential; otherwise, there is little support to workers. We must also establish a proper pension scheme for migrant workers. Under Good Governance, we initiated this, but it is still not implemented. We should be ashamed of that. The dollars they send are the reason vehicles worth billions were imported after your Government took office. The phones we use today are available because of their remittances; otherwise we have no way to earn dollars. In 2022, when the country went bankrupt and dollars dried up, we could not even pay for a fuel tanker. Therefore, this Ministry is crucial, and we owe migrant workers concrete benefits and support programmes to uplift their lives.

¶ 05 I also note that at the SLBFE’s 40th anniversary event at Temple Trees, speeches were made, but there was no proper framework to recognize agents and stakeholders in the sector. Engage with foreign employment agents; discuss a forward plan. Merely delegating to State Ministers will not suffice—I urge the Cabinet Minister, with experience, to take charge, or we will face many problems and fail to reach targets.

¶ 06 On tourism, we are all happy visitor numbers are rising. But compare to 2018, our peak year: 2.5 million tourists and USD 5.6 billion revenue. In 2019, after the Easter attacks, revenue still was USD 4.6 billion. After bankruptcy, from 2023 revenue began to rise—USD 2 billion in 2023 and USD 3.2 billion in 2024. This year, arrivals may reach or surpass 2018 levels—perhaps 2.6 or 2.7 million—but revenue remains around USD 3.2 billion. Thus, we are short by about USD 2 billion compared to 2018. Who are the tourists coming now? We must analyze markets and yields, and ensure facilities match the influx. Provide support to tourism operators accordingly.

¶ 07 In foreign employment, we must look at both sides: the worker and the family. Migrant workers have supported this country for 40 years. Many of their families voted for you. Treat their welfare as a duty. Long absences cause family problems; provide support systems and implement a real pension scheme—stop talking and deliver. That proposal came in 2015 but was never implemented; now is the time.

¶ 08 We must also diversify destinations. There are many countries that can provide opportunities matching skills of our youth. Discuss and create new programmes; if we remain stuck in old routines, we cannot advance.

¶ 09 Tourism also faces multiple issues—guides and transport are critical. Provide assistance to upgrade those services. For tourists’ ease of travel, we should restore prior concessions on importing vehicles for the sector and offer appropriate relief to operators. Hon. Minister, with your experience, please pay special attention to these two sectors. If you do not, our dollar inflows will suffer. The remittances next year depend on how many go abroad this year, as seen during COVID-19. Therefore, prepare a plan for foreign employment, provide relief and programmes to uplift their lives. With that reminder, I conclude.

¶ 10 Thank you.