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Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera says Govt. is not opposed to genuine environmentalists
"I am not saying that the environment is completely protected under this Government. There are some incidents and we ensure that the law applies the same for everyone, regardless of their position" Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera[/caption]
What if legal action is taken against former President Maithripala Sirisena? What would the SLFP do then?
(Former) President Sirisena is ready at any moment to face this problem. But in no instance is our party connected to that problem. We would not be making any decisions to free him; we have made that clear to President Sirisena. He, in turn, has given us the freedom to make our own decisions regarding this. When our party works with the Government, we aim to be effective for our voters and the country. As a party, we would stay with him, but we would not be going outside the law. He is also ready to face anything. But I do not think there is enough reason or evidence in that report to take him to courts.
Will the SLFP members completely join the SLPP if their leader is taken to courts?
No, not at all. We would not be going anywhere abandoning our Freedom Party.
Reports of grassroots-level tensions between the SLFP and SLPP have emerged. How will this affect your alliance at the higher levels in the future?
Yes, honestly, the problem is at the grassroots level. They do not involve our pradeshiya sabha ministers in any development work. Our local politicians have also worked really hard to ensure that President Gotabaya won the election and we all worked hard to build this Government. But in 90% of pradeshiya sabhas, they are treated worse than the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or the United National Party (UNP) – similar to the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).
Why is the SLFP being treated like this?
That is our problem as well, and that is why we have tension with the SLPP. This would ultimately affect the existence of the Government. When our ones criticise the Government and when their actions are not appreciated, their support would be difficult to come by in the next elections. However, we do not want to make any decision to destabilise the Government as it would harm the country – we would not make any decisions that would negatively affect the Government. Ultimately, our decisions boil down to our voters – what they say goes with us. If my voters tell me to go home, I will go home.
Only a couple of the SLFP parliamentarians have received cabinet positions. Does that affect your relationship with the SLPP and the functioning of the Government?
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and I have gotten cabinet positions. Yes, we have some problems, but positions depend on initial agreements. We do have certain problems, but at this point, we would not let them continue to result in a government crisis. Privately, we do have issues like where we did not get proper positions, but we would not be making any decisions based on that.
Will you accept solutions to this tension in the future from the Government?
Yes, we hope that in the future our inner concerns would be addressed by the Government.
What sort of major changes are there with regard to the environmental law in the country? Do you hope to bring in a new Act to replace the current “National Environmental Act”?Not a new Act, but just amendments. Amendments are being brought in because, mainly, this Act has not been amended in 20 years, so we do not have powers in some areas. Other than amending the Act, we hope for big change through the “Surakimu Ganga” project.
In which areas are your powers limited?
We get accused of many things, but we cannot get involved as per the limitations of the Act. So that would be one concern that the amendments would address. The other would be the question of fines – these were decided 20 years ago, so clearly, a change is needed now to ensure that the fines are sufficient enough to prevent repeat crimes.
Others need to be changed because they were last amended 20 years ago. Recently, we have started talking about air pollution – carbon dioxide is increasing in urban areas. Amendments will look at that, including all things that come in the future.
Is there an issue since the institutions – Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), and Department of Forest Conservation (DFC) – are now under separate ministries?
I cannot say there is no problem there. Usually, these institutions have been together – environment and wildlife. But we try to, as much as possible, ensure that these problems do not affect our work.
Several accusations have been levelled against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his “Gama Samaga Pilisandara” (Discussion with Villagers) programmes alleging that they lead to environmental destruction by the villagers. Does this lead to difficulties in your work as the Minister of Environment?
The President does not take single-minded decisions. He represents the ideas of the people, so we agree with them and work with them. The President goes to the villagers and hears their problems, which he addresses accordingly. That is not wrong – that is not a decision he takes single-handedly. However, at no point has he said to harm the environment.
State Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayaka has also been accused by district-level forest officers for obstruction of their duties. Does that show that this Government does not care about the environment?
Those are private problems and we try not to let them affect our work. We can work effectively together with the officers. These are misunderstandings – there are occasional unnecessary problems, but they can be resolved easily. To address this issue, I have put a cabinet paper for joint meetings with all of the relevant authorities. Minister C.B. Rathnayake and (State Minister) Wimalaweera (Dissanayake) come there, along with (State) Minister (Dr.) Nalaka Godahewa and Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara. Institutional leaders and officers also participate in this meeting and that is how we solve our separate problems together.
Many environmental activists and organisations have been vocal against the Government’s actions with regard to the environment. Does this Government have a problem with environmentalists?
There are two types of environmentalists – one type genuinely loves the environment while the other type tries to earn money through their activism, like nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). I work very closely with genuine environmentalists. Others earn money by telling the international community that we are cutting trees. The Government is not largely opposed to genuine environmentalists. Everyone has personal politics, but there are some who actually love the environment from birth.
Can development be done without harming the environment? Does development come at the cost of the environment under this Government?
I am not saying that the environment is completely protected under this Government. There are some incidents and we ensure that the law applies the same for everyone, regardless of their position. Development cannot be stopped. But if we cut one tree, our goal must be to grow 500 more trees. And that can definitely be done.