Are arguments to bring in Port City Commission true? Former Central Bank Additional Director Nirmala Siriwardena explains

“Those who comment on the Colombo Ports Commission Bill like a repeated mantra say that this commission will be set up for the national economy or the national interest. The most important point made by government officials and government leaders is the difficulty of getting a project implemented by government officials. As an Additional Director and Retired Officer of the Central Bank, I would like to comment on this. The Jayewardene government that came to power with a 5/6 majority in 1977 established the Greater Colombo Economic Commission, saying it is to develop the country. The Biyagama and Katunayake Economic Trade Zones were established to reduce or completely abolish the customary law in the country, stating that it is necessary for the development of the country. However, we ignored the resources in the territory of Sri Lanka and did not manage the human resources. It is ridiculous to talk about using 446 hectares of land to develop 65,610 square kilometres of land in this country,” Says Nirmala Siriwardena, Attorney-at-Law and former Additional Director of the Central Bank.
Speaking further, Attorney-at-Law Nirmala Siriwardena said, “Despite its 2,500-year-old proud history since its independence from the British, it has been working to further strengthen the country’s exploitation by international capital. This is an urban project. I see it as a powerful extension of it. The Ports Commission has been established to enable the capitalists to reap the benefits of their capital in any way they want without considering the rules and regulations of this country. We see in recent history how much of the taxes due to the treasury of this country have been gazetted and allowed to be collected by others. We have seen the damage done by appointing a foreign national as the Governor of the Central Bank. It is in this context that we have been asked to think positively about this project as well. Even within this country’s general rules and regulations, ordinary people have questions about the government’s accountability. Under the existing rules, officials are also allowed to act irresponsibly. This is why we cannot find answers to the questions of this country.
If we want to develop the economy of this country, we need to build a system that suits the whole country using the 2 / 3rd majority of the President and Parliament. But without doing so, we see a further shift in the accountability of government officials to the public. Those who create the background for such a situation are talking about the Economic Commission. Reducing the rules and regulations will create an opportunity to deprive the country of its current revenue-generating businesses rather than creating these projects. We do not have a history of development other than people coming from another country to set up businesses, earn income, and take assets to their own countries. I urge all the people of this country to use their intelligence to think about the Colombo Ports Commission Act.”