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Singapore FTA final report ready; expert committee awaits an audience with the President

25 Nov 2018

· Report already three weeks behind schedule · Political situation likely to cause further delays By Charindra Chandrasena The independent expert committee appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena in August to study the Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA) is ready to submit its final report to the President this week. Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business on Friday (23), Chair of the independent expert committee, University of Colombo Former Vice Chancellor Deshamanya Professor W.D. Lakshman said that the final report was nearly complete. “We are finishing off the final report. We will submit it by next week. Now, the President has to give us an appointment to submit and take a discussion.” However, Prof. Lakshman was not optimistic about receiving an appointment from the President anytime soon. “Under the current political situation I do not know whether the President will have free time for these things until everything is settled.” Prof. Lakshman said that the preliminary report on SLSFTA was submitted five weeks ago and it was followed by a meeting with the President, in which they discussed the main findings of the report. The findings of the preliminary report have not been communicated to the public. Considering diverse views from opposition political parties and professional trade unions, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed the independent committee, comprising five experts, to study the SLSFTA and to submit a report. The other members of the independent expert committee are Professor Sirimevan Colombage from the Open University of Colombo, Professor Ajitha Tennakoon from the University of Kelaniya, independent consultant Sanath Jayanetti, and Former Assistant Governor of the Central Bank R. A. Jayatissa. The committee was asked to provide policy-based guidance, practical impacts, and recommendations, following a detailed study of the FTA. When asked about what the response from President Sirisena had been on the preliminary report, Prof. Lakshman said: “He indicated certain things but never in the form of firm policy commitments.” He added that there were only minor changes from the preliminary report to the final report, particularly due to new information which was not available earlier. During the compiling of this report, all sectors were offered the opportunity to submit their suggestions and concerns on the SLSFTA to the committee. The final report, which was scheduled to be submitted in two-and-a-half months, had taken around three additional weeks, and Prof. Lakshman attributed the delay to the original deadline being inadequate. “We were given a very short period of time. We had to take a little more time because the originally allocated time was not adequate,” he said. The SLSFTA was entered in January, 2018 following 18 months of negotiations, but was vehemently opposed by professional associations and other bodies, mainly on the grounds that it endangered Sri Lankan jobs by allowing the importation of skilled labour and professionals, and that it allowed the importation of clinical and nuclear waste, making Sri Lanka a dumping ground for Singapore.

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