“The wife of a former leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna is still the secretary of a key ministry today. She is the secretary of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government. She is the secretary of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government,” says United Republican Front leader and MP Patali Champika Ranawaka.
He made this statement while participating in a media discussion on the protection of wildlife and people organized by the United Republican Front.
Productivity in the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka is at a very low level. For example, Sri Lanka’s paddy yield is only half that of Thailand, and the coconut yield is only one-third that of Kerala, India, Patali Champika Ranawaka points out. The reason for this situation is the failure to introduce new technology, markets, and new methods to farmers. He also points out that providing farmers with free fertilizer and water cannot solve this problem. He highlights that the increase in fuel costs with the mechanization of the agricultural sector is also a big problem. In addition, he says that the recent economic crisis has had a major impact on the agricultural sector.
He further points out that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture are not taking sufficient measures to solve this problem. He says that the research institutes of the Department of Agriculture should be rehabilitated to provide new technology and methods to the farmers’ associations. He also suggests that methods should be found to minimize damage to the harvest, especially damage caused by rain, drought, wild animals, and transportation.
The increase in diesel prices and the rise in electricity bills have had a major impact on the agricultural sector. He points out that the government has only presented ‘suppression of the pest’ as a solution to all these problems, and this is not an adequate solution. He emphasizes that the problems in the agricultural sector should be solved on a scientific basis.
“I would like to kindly request Mr. Lalkantha not to make populist speeches. There is something you can do. That is, talk to your Environment Minister, get everyone’s opinions, and make a program. If environmentalists, farmers, experts on this matter, your ministry, and the Ministry of Environment come together and make changes to this Environmental Ordinance, let’s make changes. If, in some way, an animal has developed aggressively, if that animal has been preserved, remove it. Or if there is a situation where another animal is becoming extinct, conserve it. It is necessary to conduct this process scientifically by conducting regular censuses on this from time to time,” Mr. Ranawaka points out that populist approaches are not effective in solving environmental problems. He believes that these approaches are often not scientifically based and are based on political motives, which can exacerbate the problems.
Sri Lanka is facing a serious challenge in terms of food security, especially due to the increase in the prices of rice, coconuts, and other vegetables, which has forced people to spend more money on food. Most food items are imported from abroad, which further weakens the food security situation. Although Sri Lanka became a rice self-sufficient country in 2010, this situation has been constantly jeopardized by natural disasters such as drought and crop failure. People’s incomes have not increased, and they have had to face economic difficulties due to the rise in the prices of essential commodities such as food, fuel, and electricity. Mr. Ranawaka also emphasized that it is essential to take decisive steps to ensure food security, as this situation could lead to another serious food crisis in the future.
“The first reason for this situation is that we have limited land. In terms of our productivity, we are the most backward country in this region. And in the last two decades, there has been no increase in productivity. That means that the great revival that occurred in the agricultural research institutions since the 1950s has not happened in the last two decades.”
Responding to questions asked by journalists, the leader of the United Republican Front, former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka:
Question:
Are you satisfied with the way this government is going?
Answer:
What the government has done today is completely contrary to what it said to come to power. It is not something that is destined. The statements made without understanding the reality of the country are now coming back to haunt them every time. That is why the opposition to this government is the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna that existed before September 21. That is why we say tell the truth with common sense. Don’t go and make speeches about 76 years of history by talking about populism. It makes no sense. You should act as a responsible government. It has not yet appeared to be acting as a responsible government.
Question:
Based on the events happening these days, we have also had to doubt your educational qualifications. What do you say about that?
Answer:
I am someone who did the Ordinary Level and Advanced Level in Sri Lanka. Because our fathers could not do the Ordinary Level and Advanced Level in Sri Lanka and did not have the money to send us to England or America to study. So we faced competitive exams, passed them, went to the University of Moratuwa, and did student movements and came here. These things cannot be hidden. There were 230 of our peers studying. Everyone knows who I am. Then I am a student leader at that university. Everyone knows who I am. What I did. Also, the fact of my degree is on the website of the University of Moratuwa. But I have not used that degree to get my votes. Why? I have more to say than that degree. When I was the Ministry of Environment, we built all the state institutions that were there. We built them. The Timber Corporation doubled its income. The Mining Bureau tripled its income. Also, we brought ten new projects from institutions like Wildlife, Forest Conservation, and the Central Environmental Authority, and in short, we made our ministry a ministry that runs without any government funding. My degree has nothing to do with it. Then, after fifteen years, the Ceylon Electricity Board gave it to me and in 2010, we made a profit in six months. We solved the garbage problem in Colombo that was said to be impossible in this country. They said that we couldn’t build the Port City, there was not enough stone, and the fishermen would be destroyed. We did many things that were said to be impossible. And what was that abandoned and collapsed? We built it at the Puttalam power plant. We don’t need much. Back in 2000, I introduced the solar power program on rooftops, on roofs. Over the objections of some engineers at the Electricity Board. Okay. Today, there are a thousand megawatts. The country’s largest electricity resource. Like that, tell us that we have a big story to tell about what we have done, in addition to that degree, in addition to those rhetorical speeches. That is why we do not need a degree so much, tell us to vote for us. Because we have done enough to tell.
Question:
What about what happened to Kathanayake? As you say, this job requires knowledge. It seems that a degree is not necessary. If only there was knowledge to do the job properly?
Answer:
D. S. Senanayake, Mrs. Bandaranaike, and Mr. Premadasa did not have a great education. They were carried out by political practice. But there is something like this in Sri Lanka. That is, today, especially with the recent crisis, people think that politicians are involved in drug trafficking. They are involved in sand, black rock, soil trafficking. They are involved in heroin trafficking. They are taking action for money. There is a belief among the public that they were deceived through that. Also, there was great disappointment due to the immoral behavior of politicians and the immoral behavior they displayed while enjoying privileges. That is why this competition was created. It was not a competition created by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. It was a request from society itself. They said that professional level politics is needed. So, the majority in Parliament today, especially the majority of the 159 new arrivals, are from Sri Lanka. But I firmly say one thing: Don’t come and show those foreign degrees. We have them there, don’t come and show that we have them here. There are two types of foreign degrees in Sri Lanka. One is those who got their degree in Sri Lanka and went to the University of Sri Lanka to do a postgraduate degree and did a postgraduate degree in a specific place. They are respected educationists. Others, afraid that they will fail in Sri Lanka, go abroad with their fathers’ and mothers’ money to study and show those certificates. Don’t go and do them. Don’t accept the certificates of those people. Those who have a specific postgraduate education should only talk about those who studied at a specific, recognized foreign university. Otherwise, we know about those people’s doctorate, professorship, medical, engineering degrees. Because they are not at that level in Sri Lanka. That is the truth. That is why they show us these certificates from abroad. They are useless. But the conversation that emerged from this Mr. Ranwala is good, through this we can really see who are honest people. If you do not have any educational qualifications, say it openly. Now Chamara Sampath said that I have no education. Lal Kantha said that I have no education. I am just Lal Kantha. I am a full-time politician. So be honest. Otherwise, some MPs and ministers have been appointed as cats who hit the rocks by going to places where there is no place to say things that are not there. It is sad to say.
Parliament employees to the Cheka Police??
“The Secretary General of Parliament is now being accused of being responsible for all this and is conspiring. Her husband, Harigupta Rohanadeera, is Gotabaya’s legal advisor. That is why they are calling all this a conspiracy by the Rajapaksas. If the Secretary General of Parliament is not fulfilling her responsibilities as the chief officer of Parliament, then say so. If there is a problem with the Parliament website, don’t go and tell the CID. Tell the Secretary General of Parliament. Why are you telling the CID? They are trying to bring some of the Parliament’s employees to the CID and turn the CID into a political police force like the Cheka police in the Soviet Union and intimidate the Parliament employees. That is the ulterior motive. When we too have had similar issues, we have directly informed the Speaker and informed the Secretary General of Parliament and taken action. We have worked very hard to do that with those concerned. The IT department of Parliament has really made a lot of sacrifices.”
The story of the wife of the leader of the JVP armed wing
“I am really sorry to say that she is the wife of a key leader of the JVP during its armed period. I will not mention her name. She is still the secretary of a key ministry today. She is the secretary of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government. She is also the secretary of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government. She is a capable officer. But no one has ever slandered her and said that she is the wife of a key leader of the JVP. She is involved in conspiracies. Therefore, if you criticize someone, it is not her husband’s politics or her father’s politics. She did this without admitting her mistake, do not lie about it by saying that the speaker is a conspiracy. Everyone knows this truth now. If the Secretary General or that secretariat is inappropriate and has committed a mistake, bring it to Parliament and remove it from the Constituent Assembly. There is such a system. But do it justice, do not spread slander. That is wrong. That method itself is wrong. Instead of facing the truth and acting on it, it is wrong to hide our mistakes.”
If Sri Lanka’s energy sector or other sectors are given to other countries as international bribes without a competitive basis, we are completely against it. Because that is a big problem for the country’s security and the country’s progress.
Those many projects that have been agreed upon with India are not the same as yesterday. That electricity connection between India and Sri Lanka, that is, that DC link, will take another thirty years. That is something that the Asian Development Bank has brought. I am not against it. That is not a problem at all. It is not such a problem, but it must be done with openness. Otherwise, what happened to Bangladesh will happen to us too. The Sampur power plant is a story that has been going on since 2006. Then the oil tank complex is a story that has been going on since 1987. So the LNG story has been going on since 2004, and Sri Lanka built the West Course of the first power plant in Sri Lanka in 2004 to bring liquefied gas. Twenty years now. So this talk, talk, talk, always going on, making statements. Making, making. ,Maithripala Sirisena made those statements even after he left. So those statements are not that important to us. What is really important is what is happening. But there is one thing. Without a competitive basis, countries are giving Sri Lanka’s energy sector or digitalization in other sectors or other sectors as international bribes to other countries. We are completely against it. Because it is a big problem for the security of the country, for the country’s progress. If we talk about Etka, there was a big discussion about it even during the Yahapalana government. Professionals in this country were afraid about it. That is, about the possibility of exchanging professionals. That is, since that time. Therefore, it should be done after having a formal discussion with the professionals in our country, with our business community, especially with those involved in the import-export industry. We also need to expand our trade by entering into trade agreements with as many countries as possible in the world. A good example is China. Now, for example, the United States created ASEAN in 1960 to fight China. Did China oppose it? No. China joined ASEAN in an open market. Today, trade between China and ASEAN is worth a trillion dollars. Do the people of ASEAN think that China is a challenge? Do the people of China think that the countries in ASEAN are coming to besiege them? Both are working together. That is how we should enter into these agreements as a group of trustworthy peers.
Speaking at this media conference, United Republic Front General Secretary Bandula Chandrasekara said;
“The current government has invited various proposals from the people to limit the damage caused by wild animals to solve the problems of the farming community. Environmentalists and experts have been consulted on this. The leader of our party, as a former Minister of Environment, has special experience in this regard. He has intervened in this regard from an environmental perspective and taken certain measures in the past. Based on that experience, it is necessary to reveal the data and the real nature of the problem to the people of the country regarding this issue. The problem faced by the farming community in Sri Lanka is very serious. In particular, about 2.2 million farmers live in this country. They are largely the same as the farmers and the poor community in the country. That means that today in Sri Lanka, these various crops are cultivated, not just paddy farming. If we look at the problems faced by the farming community, they are still below the poverty line. Also, they face very difficult situations due to problems arising from natural disasters, wild animal attacks, and other pest problems. Also, in obtaining that compensation, we face great hardships and deep problems. There is a great voice and suffering from the other large farming community in this regard. From an economic perspective, although 2.2 million people are engaged in this farming sector, in reality this sector contributes only about 7% to our gross national product. Then, there is an opinion of various scholars who have studied this theoretically and economically. There is a certain lack of capital flow required for agriculture in our policies. It is shown that previous governments did not take such measures in this regard. It is also clear that measures were not taken to modernize technology, bring agriculture to the required technical level, and improve the productivity that is emerging all over the world today.
Recently, the President said that in addition to highways, the government of this country has made a huge investment in the construction of irrigation systems. Also, huge subsidies have been given to farmers in terms of providing water and fertilizer. So even with such huge subsidies, we see that there
are no results to match those subsidies. There is a serious failure of agricultural policies. The fundamental reason for this is that policies related to agriculture have been formulated without understanding the requirements of farmers, their real needs, and the connection between agricultural policies and farming.”
