The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC

¶ 01 That is the name.

¶ 02 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, I considered this: Before coming to this august House, we have had little arguments in small groups. We have argued in courts. We have rules on relevant, irrelevant, and evidence. When I looked at the Standing Orders, I realized that here, under decorum, you can speak on anything. Studying geographical indications took me two hours last night. I thought I made a big blunder: that I should have listened here and then said something. Be that as it may, let me have a little bit of a serious discussion about these geographical indications.

¶ 03 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, today we are to approve regulations under the Intellectual Property Act. I am not questioning anyone’s intelligence. But what I have observed is that this House does not have a correct understanding of geographical indications. Let us understand that. Therefore, as far as I know, I hope to say a few things simply. Bringing these regulations is 70 to 90 per cent commendable. But on some cautious aspects—Hon. Minister of Trade, please, without thinking in terms of Government and Opposition, consult your experts a little on this. Some call this “global indication”. It is not global; it is geographical indication.

¶ 04 There is something called a trademark. A trademark is a form of registration under intellectual property. Broadly, there are two agreements. One is WIPO and the other is TRIPS. One dates from 1978 and the other from the 2000s. Our Intellectual Property Act is operated aligned with the relevant international institutions. Under the IP Act, on geographical indications, a need arose to make special regulations. This is actually a marketing technique.

¶ 05 The other day, on a visit to Dubai, during a religious trip, I dropped in at a global village. There, stalls were selling products unique to each country. I am not talking about any government or myself. I was first ashamed when I saw Sri Lanka’s stall. Our people had gone to buy clothes and such to Pakistan and India. I felt a little ashamed when I saw that aside from “Ceylon Tea”, almost all the other stalls had been given to Bangladesh and other countries. I went out to drink a juice. The friend with me said, “Uncle, I will get it. It is excellent.” He asked, “Do you know the name?” He said, “Thembili.” I thought it should not be something from Sri Lanka. But I was happy to see that the word “Thembili” had been used to make a special king coconut juice. There was a long queue. The boy with me, my nephew, waited ten minutes. I asked, “Why so long?” He said, “There was a long queue.” I do not know if it is from Sri Lanka; we should check. As far as I know, that thembili was not from Sri Lanka. Elsewhere, I saw the word “kiri” used on milk products—not from Sri Lanka either. I told our friends: Sri Lanka has unique products by region—agricultural and culturally blended products. Next, we have textiles. Let me give a good example: the handloom sarongs from Maruthamunai in my area. In 1970–1977, when sarong imports from India were banned, Maruthamunai sarongs had high demand. I saw at “Barefoot” in Colombo that even they source sarongs from us, said a lady who runs handlooms in Maruthamunai.

¶ 06 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, that is why registering geographical indications under the IP Act is very important. It is positive and good. But here is the issue: there are certain procedures required for such registration. In Sri Lanka, there is “Tissamaharama mee kiri” and “Digamadulla mee kiri.” From school days, when going to Kataragama, we must buy black dodol. That particular dodol shop is now on the expressway exit to the Mattala road. We stop the vehicle when we see it. We have a great liking for region-specific products. The same with thalaguli. Those travelling home by vehicle buy from specific places. There are places selling cashew. I go to those shops. When I travel abroad, my friends ask me to bring cashew from the airport. I do not buy at the airport; I bought from Eravur and gave to a lady. She said, “Mr. Kariapper, next time if you bring anything, please bring this cashew.” In Jaffna, there is karuthakolomban mango; in Balapitiya, kolikuttu bananas with special taste.

¶ 07 These are all good. Such things are everywhere. But the Industry Minister has a big responsibility. Once these regulations are approved, if there is domestic or foreign demand for products unique to Sri Lanka, whether or not there are lawyers grabbing them, quickly register them. For example, Sri Lanka already has world-renowned high corporate brands.