The Hon. Arun Hemachandra - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, as global geopolitics become complex, we should not speak only of the negatives, but also seize opportunities. Attracting investors for growth is one such intervention. In that context, today’s Regulations under the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act are very important.

¶ 02 When the Port City began, we too had criticisms. Many Sri Lankan projects were launched without proper planning — leading to failures: Hambantota Port, Mattala Airport, the Hambantota Conference Hall, Nelum Kuluna, Uma Oya initially, Hambantota Cricket Stadium, Ranminithenna — large debts with little return.

¶ 03 Turning to the Regulations: this is not a law amendment but adjustments via Regulation. One key change is allowing higher building heights than previously permitted, among other technical updates. The broader point: in the past, project initiation saw corruption and waste reports. We criticized those irregularities then; now, after our electoral success, we have a responsibility to correct deficiencies and move projects forward. These kinds of adjustments are necessary.

¶ 04 A key past problem was creating an investor-friendly environment. Investors complained of under-the-table dealings and political interference. Under the new administration, we are rapidly building a Single Window platform so an investor can complete processes in one place — BOI, Port City Commission, etc. — without running around. These Regulations come alongside that.

¶ 05 Sri Lanka has many failed projects — even empty “built cities”. The Laxapana/Norochcholai (Lakvijaya) coal plant was built amid public opposition and environmental concerns, even with incidents during protests. Since inception, the plant has underperformed. If the calorific value is not delivered, the supplier should pay compensation — that is the accepted mechanism. Issues should be addressed institutionally: COPE has already inspected. This Government does not tolerate corruption; wherever issues exist, we will investigate and resolve them.

¶ 06 Starting unsuitable projects in unsuitable locations without planning has cost the country. Any project should have sound plans, and if plans require changes mid-course, we should not hesitate to amend. These are valuable corrections.

¶ 07 We must avoid white-elephant projects. With global uncertainty, we must plan and capitalize properly: we try to capitalize on the situation in a proper way. We support these amendments and expect the Government to make the Port City a success swiftly.

¶ 08 Thank you.