Hyderabad: In an exclusive online interview with ETV Bharat from Colombo, Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa — Sri Lanka's Minister for Youth & Sports and one of the three sons of Mahinda Rajapaksa, prime minister of the island nation — said the country and the ruling government are not influenced by China. He added that Sri Lanka is looking for investments from around the world and "not conflicts." Also speaking about the controversial Indo-Japanese consortium's East Container Terminal (ECT) deal, Rajapaksa ruled out a' political angle' to it. He is also the son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. He made this clear during an exclusive online interview given to 'ETV Bharat' from Colombo
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To what extent has Sri Lanka recovered from the Corona crisis?
Namal Rajapaksa: Cases are declining now. Indian Prime Minister Modi had sent the vaccine. Our financial situation has changed for the worse with the effect of Corona and the trouble increased further due to the closure of international borders.
There is a perception that Sri Lanka is in the grip of a huge debt from China. To what extent is this true?
Namal Rajapaksa: They are all fantasies created by the previous government. We have borrowed from many countries for the reconstruction of the country. And as a part of the same, we have also taken from China. There is no reason to say that Sri Lanka should be in the hands of that country just because of that. We have made sure to clear all the debts we have borrowed from any country and repaid them on time.
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Sri Lanka doesn’t seem to have yet announced any strategy to attract international investments. How will the opportunities come in this situation?
Namal Rajapaksa: A system of special concessions is required to attract any investment. It has been six months since we took the office. We are making efforts to unveil that approach soon. Already a huge amount of investment is coming from India in the real estate sector. Also in the state of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Lankan industrialists have invested in the textile sector. Also, there are opportunities to set up such industries in Telangana as well. We are thinking to that extent too. There are many opportunities for investment in both Telugu states.
Concerns are being expressed in Asian countries over China's growing grip on the Indian Ocean. How do you think that impact will be on Sri Lanka?
Namal Rajapaksa: Our government will not agree to let any country use our land, soil and water against any other country. Specifically, we shall never allow anyone, to harm our border country, India, at any time.
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It is said that the Sri Lankan government has refused to hand over the construction of the East Container Terminal (ECT) to the Indo-Japanese consortium due to Chinese pressure. How do you think this effect is going to be?
Namal Rajapaksa: There is no political angle to this. There is a lot of dissatisfaction among the people that there are flaws in the decision taken by the previous government. The government has set up a committee to study the facts. One step had to be taken due to the lack of consensus among the Indo-Japanese monopolies on the terms proposed by the committee. It is not true that the abolition was done under pressure from the Chinese government. Sri Lanka wants good relations with India. The development of the Hambantota port, which I now represent, was supposed to be awarded to India itself by my father during his previous regime. However, it was not implemented at the time. Since India refused to take it up, it had to be given to China. As part of the reconstruction of Jaffna, Indian Prime Minister Modi provided assistance for the construction of a large number of houses. In addition to the same, we will never forget India's contribution to the construction of railway lines.
Commercial ties between India and Sri Lanka seem to be low at present. What are the opportunities for further growth?
Namal Rajapaksa: Yes. Trade between the two countries is currently at a low perspective. However, both countries have good opportunities to expand further. Maritime trade in particular has a lot of potential. There are plenty of opportunities in the tourism sector as well. The number of tourists coming to Sri Lanka from India is high. We will increase air connectivity to Hyderabad once the international borders are fully opened. Telugu and Tamil films are very popular in Sri Lanka. We are looking at the possibility of further increasing the number of people who wish to come and shoot movies here.
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Hereditary politics is found in Asia. How is your role going to be in the coming days as the son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa?
Namal Rajapaksa: These are not the days for legacy politics. Awareness among people has increased multi-fold. Technology has become available to each and everyone which helps people understand the current happenings within minutes. In these circumstances, succession will only work until we enter the political arena. Once we enter, I believe that our sustainability majorly depends on performance and public approval alone and not under the influence of any heredity.
