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No discussions about repealing PTA: Bandula

14 Jun 2021

  • GSP+ should not be tied to PTA: Keheliya

  • Rupee would plummet to Rs. 300 without GSP+: Ranil

  • Will urge Government to retain GSP+: Apparel association

By Pamodi Waravita   Despite the adoption of a resolution by the European Union (EU) Parliament calling on the EU Commission to consider the temporary withdrawal of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) afforded to Sri Lanka if the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) does not repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), the GoSL has not had any formal discussions on repealing the PTA yet. When contacted yesterday (13), Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardana told The Morning that the matter has not been discussed by the Government. “This (withdrawal of GSP+) was done before also by the EU,” he said, referring to the withdrawal of the facility in 2010. GSP+ provides Sri Lanka exports preferential access to markets in the EU and especially benefits the fisheries and apparels industries. It was withdrawn in 2010 after the EU claimed there were three major shortcomings in Sri Lanka with respect to the United Nations (UN) human rights conventions (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [ICCPR], the Convention Against Torture [CAT], and the Convention on the Rights of the Child [CRC]). The EU noted then, as it noted last week, that the scheme of GSP+ is not only a special incentive agreement for sustainable development but also for good governance. When we contacted the Cabinet Spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday, he stated that the GSP+ is not and should not be tied to the PTA. “On what basis should the PTA be repealed? If tomorrow they ask us to change the presidential system, then what do we do? If they were urging changes to laws which are related to the GSP+ such as labour laws, or child labour laws, that we can understand. However, this matter falls completely outside the scope of GSP+ and I really cannot justify that.” Rambukwella said that the question of whether the PTA must be withdrawn for Sri Lanka to continue to enjoy the benefits of GSP+ itself implies that the country is being held to ransom by another entity. He added that if other powers can dictate the terms of our Constitution, then that “is a serious issue as a sovereign nation”, and noted that further negotiations on the matter would have to be spearheaded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Ministry sources told The Morning that although the EU representatives in the country had met with Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena last month, the matter of withdrawal of the GSP+ had not been discussed and that an official process of withdrawal is yet to be communicated to the GoSL. When it was withdrawn in 2010, the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government at the time was informed six months prior. Meanwhile, in a statement to the media yesterday, United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said that it is the Government’s duty to retain the GSP+, noting that the economy would collapse if it is not retained, as the rupee would depreciate to approximately Rs. 300 to a US dollar. “I renegotiated with the EU and obtained the GSP+ in 2016 which benefited Sri Lanka greatly. Today, our tourism is destroyed. Our fisheries economy is destroyed. We have to resort to Bangladesh to borrow money. This is the position we are in. What we are left with is the tea and apparel industries and if we are to protect the apparel industry, the GSP+ must be retained,” said Wickremesinghe. Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dr. Harsha de Silva in a statement noted that there is a clear benefit to Sri Lanka’s exports from the GSP+ facility. “Without GSP+ between the years of 2011 and 2015, exports to the EU only increased by 6%. From 2016 to 2019, it increased by 28% with the GSP+ in place again. The Government must ensure that the civil liberties of our citizens are protected,” he said. Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Secretary General Tully Cooray, speaking to The Morning yesterday, said that the apparel industry would work with the Government to ensure the facility is not lost. “We cannot comment on whether the Government should repeal the PTA or not. However, the GSP+ has helped us to grow our exports, and if it is withdrawn, it can result in a trade shift. That is where we are worried. I think we as an industry will be working with the Government to ensure that it is not withdrawn.” The resolution adopted by the EU Parliament last Thursday (10) stated that it is gravely concerned about the arbitrary arrests and detention under the PTA, without due process and access to justice, of various civil society actors, including lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah, poet Ahnaf Jazeem, and former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director Shani Abeysekera. Hizbullah was arrested on 14 April 2020 under the PTA for allegedly being involved in the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, although he was only charged a year later in March of this year. Last month, allegations arose that officers of the CID are attempting to coerce two moulavis to frame Hizbullah. Jazeem was arrested in connection to his Tamil-language poetry anthology, titled “Navarasam”, which the authorities have alleged as promoting “extremist” ideology. However, renowned Tamil language professor Macbool Ali Mohammed Nuhman has been quoted as stating that “there are several poems against extremism, violence, and war in this collection”. Abeysekera was arrested by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) in late July 2020 for allegedly concealing and fabricating false evidence in the case filed against eight suspects including former DIG Vass Gunawardena and his son over the alleged possession of firearms. Commenting on the warning by the EU Parliament on her official Twitter account, Ahimsa Wickrematunge, the exiled daughter of slain journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, said that “for the crime of investigating atrocities like my father’s murder – journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge – Sri Lanka’s finest detective, Abeysekera has been in jail for 11 months and the EU Parliament is right for urging the Government to free its political prisoners.”


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