Can’t allow irrational laws to impede our economy: President

(FASTNEWS | COLOMBO) – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that irrational laws should not obstruct the policies formulated to achieve the economic objectives of the people.

The President stated this during a discussion with officials and ministry secretaries attached to the Plantation Industry sector at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. The PMD said the meeting was called to find solutions to a number of issues faced by the Plantation Industry.

President Rajapaksa stressed that the state and affiliated institutions should not resort to legal measures and instead resolve their issues through discussion. Accordingly, long rooted legal issues between the State Timber Corporation and the Sri Lanka State Plantations Corporation were discussed in depth. The President also emphasized the importance of removing the plantations that are not suitable to the country or harmful to the environmental conservation of Sri Lanka and planting the crops most suitable to the country.

“State institutions should be maintained without burdening the Treasury. It should not take long to present these strategies. Mutual understanding among state institutions and proper awareness about state policies will ensure that there would not be any conflicts among institutions. When a government makes the right decision with regard to a state policy, all state institutions should comply. There should be no room to withhold carrying out the right thing. The state official who could not execute the right thing is a burden to this nation. The state official is an individual who resolves issues and not neglects them,” President Rajapaksa stressed.

The President noted that a decision was taken to cease the importation of Ethanol which had been traumatizing the economy for a long time and he added that he would not withdraw his decision due to any influence from businessmen. The PMD said it was revealed during the meeting that state institutions had to resort to legal action as the affiliated institutions had not properly discussed their issues with each other.

“It came to light that the Land Reforms Commission has filed over 800 cases and 300 out of them were against the Plantation Corporation,” it said. Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana and Secretary to the President Dr. P.B Jayasundera were also present at the discussion.