Parliament | Daily News

Parliament

Govt. calls for private sector salary increase: Kiriella

The Government yesterday, called on the private sector to increase the monthly salary of employees in par with the cost of living.

Leader of the House and Minister Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament, that the private sector employers are finding it difficult to fill in their respective vacancies due to low salaries.

The minister made these observations in response to a question raised by UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana. “Today’s youth prefer state sector employment compared to the private sector. The take home salary offered by the private sector should be increased at least to Rs 35,000. I know there are certain private companies paying Rs 15,000 to their employees,” said the Minister, explaining the reasons for high unemployment as well as the increasing number of vacancies in private firms.

The minister observed that certain industries found it difficult to meet their production requirements due to the labour shortage. “There are 100,000 vacancies at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone alone, but hardly anybody is interested, due to the simple reason that they receive an average salary of Rs 20,000. There is not enough money to save from this salary after paying boarding fees and meal expenses in Colombo,” the Minister said.


‘I rented out private property to house Agriculture Ministry’

Renting out a private property to house the Agriculture Ministry Office was done with the intentions of helping Parliament to improve its work, Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake told Parliament yesterday.

The minister who was speaking at the Committee Stage of Debate of Budget 2018, when the Finance Heads of his Ministry were taken up, said the office of the Agriculture Ministry had to be shifted to a new building as Parliament asked for its current premises to expand the work of the Parliamentary Oversight Committees.

“We had to leave our current premises. We managed to find a building close by, but it had to be renovated to be able to house a Ministry office. Throughout this period, I had to take the blame in this regard. But I am happy to contribute to the benefit of country by offering our building to oversight committees of Parliament.

There had been one mistake on my side. I should have asked the Speaker to arrange an alternative place for our Ministry and make a move only after handing over the key to me. Then all the blame would not have come upon me,” he said, responding to many allegations over the new Agriculture Ministry building in Rajagiriya.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya at this point, said thathe did not ask for the building, but it was a proposal by Parliament.


SLFP’s desire was holding LG polls at its earlist: UPFA Gen. Secy.

The SLFP is of the view that the Local Government polls should be held soon, UPFA General Secretary and Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said, refuting allegations that the SLFP and its leadership were trying to delay the elections.

Speaking at the Committee Stage debate of Budget 2018 in Parliament yesterday, the minister said both the SLFP and UPFA made submissions at Court requesting for the dismissal of the petition and pave the way to hold elections as early as possible.

Commenting on SLFP's links to the petitioners, the minister said, “Those individuals who petition on a matter such as this, may have various political links. Despite their political views, they have the right to go before Court. The SLFP is of the view that this Court case must be expedited and concluded soon. We give our fullest support to it, which is also the stance of the President,” he said.

“The SLFP desire was holding LG elections before April,” he said, adding that the SLFP was a party that upholds democracy and was committed to protect it.

The Minister said the SLFP strongly advocated for electoral reforms to re-introduce the First-Past-the-Post system sans preferential votes.

“The SLFP was committed to end the election culture that heavily depends on money and which often leads to clashes within and between parties. The SLFP since its beginning, campaigned hard to hold the upcoming LG elections under the new electoral system, despite there being pressure to hold it under the old system,” he said.

Commenting on arguments on tapping of phone calls, the minister stressed that neither the Government nor the President was involved in such acts, adding that calls tapping did not take place now.


‘Why can’t mineral mining be handed to local entrepreneurs?’

The TNA in Parliament yesterday, questioned the preparations made to handover mineral deposits along the east coast to a foreign company.

TNA Digamadulla District MP Kaveendiran Kodeeswaran, speaking at the Committee Stage debate of Budget 2018, asked as to why mining in these deposits could not be handed over to a local entrepreneur.

He said resources in one cubic metre of these deposits, were worth about Rs 2 billion. He said tests have been carried out from Oluwil to Arugambay in preparation to mine these deposits including ilmenite, without paying proper attention to environmental concerns. The MP also said that atomic power could be made from minerals found in the area.

Replying to this query, Primary Industries Minister Daya Gamage assured that the project would be carried out taking needful precautions to protect the environment. “Even you are a good businessman. You will understand that Sri Lanka needs more investments in this area if we are to get out of the debt trap we are currently facing. If we could export minerals after value addition, the country could make a huge income. It would also produce more job opportunities for the people of the area,” he noted.


Accusing Speaker of being biased:

I have no comments, says Speaker

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday, observed that he need not inquire into statements by members of both the Government and the Opposition sides that he was partial.

The Speaker made this observation yesterday, in response to a point of order raised by Joint Opposition member Ranjith de Soyza, requesting permission to make a statement on a State Minister’s statement that said the Speaker was partial.

Ranjith de Soyza said that the President had appointed a Presidential Commission.

The State Minister had said to the media that the commission is a conspiracy against the United National Party. He added the same State Minister told the Speaker was biased. “We think you are impartial,” said Ranjith de Soyza. “So give your views on it.”

The Speaker said that Opposition members too say that he was biased. “You have said more than ten times that I am biased,” the Speaker said. “So I won’t comment on it.”

Join Opposition Member C B Rathnayake said that the Speakers in the House since Sir Francis Molamure had been impartial. He queried as to whose bliss befell upon the Opposition, when the Government side charged that the Speaker was biased.


JO MP accuses govt of putting country into chaos

Joint Opposition MP Dinesh Gunawardena accused the government of putting the country into a tangled mess having done a great damage by delaying elections, despite having many opportunities of holding local government elections over the past two years.

He said so in Parliament yesterday, joining the committee stage debate on the financial heads of the Agriculture Ministry, Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry, Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry and the Primary Industries Ministry.

He accused the JVP of voting in favour of the amendment to the act which led to the current complicated mess. “Had the JVP voted against it with the JO and defeated the government, we would not be facing this situation today. The fraudulent amendments to the act was brought to delay the elections of three local bodies. While the AG had determined that the government needed a 2/3 majority to go ahead with the amendments, it was the JVP who voted in favour and supported the government in obtaining the 2/3 majority.”

He said that it was only the Joint Opposition that stood steadfastly on one stand that the elections should be held. “The government has the ability to hold elections. There is no point in giving excuses. On one hand the government is stabbing democracy in the back by not holding LG election, while having created a wasteful administration in the over 330 local government institutions. Today the government has created a wasteful and controlling regime. This hinders the day-to-day services impacting on the development of the country,” he said.

 

 

 


Add new comment