Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said today (22) that true leadership is to put the country first, develop the economy, strengthen the rupee against the US dollar, and emphasized that under any circumstances, the government would not let anyone drag the country back into a crisis.
Minister Nanayakkara pointed out that rather than wearing others’ fancy clothes, it is better to wear one’s own clothes and contribute to the development of the economy, even if they may not fit perfectly. The Minister expressed these views while participating in the inauguration of the ‘Jayagamu Sri Lanka’ programme in Matala. The Jayagamu Sri Lanka programme is organized by the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment with aim of bringing all the services provided by the institutes under the Ministry’s purview to the public’s doorstep.
The Minister acknowledged the potential to distribute job offers he received from Israel, South Korea, and Japan within the Galle District, a strategy that could solidify his prospects for parliamentary reelection. However, his political ideology is not rooted in traditional party-based politics, leading him to serve the interests of the entire nation rather than a specific region.
The Minister also went on to say,
“When President J.R. Jayawardena was changing our economy, a conflict was created in the country. This group, always boasting, led thousands of lives astray and destroyed them. Every time this country tried to recover, it was the same group that led the country’s youth into riots and destroyed their lives.
Every time this country was developing, this group pulled back and led to derailing the development, which led to a number of issues throughout history. We should be aware of these people, and we must remember that a leopard never changes its spots.
Despite Winston Churchill leading Britain during WW2 and winning it, the people of Britain did not re-elect him. They realized that although he was a great leader for wartime, he was not as effective in leading economic recovery. Even Churchill knew this and left office, allowing a new leader to develop Britain.
The people of Britain made a tough choice, which is a great quality. We made brave decisions to end the three-decade-long armed conflict. Just like that moment, as a nation, we should make brave and smart decisions to develop this country for a better future. That is why we came to Matale to prepare them for the Smart Aragalaya for a Smart Nation with smart citizens. We will continue to convey this message and transform the citizens into smart citizens.
This is a crucial juncture, and we have to be politically conscious. The lack of political consciousness has been our biggest weakness. This weakness has been exploited to mislead us; therefore, political consciousness is very important.
The very group that always boasts criticized in Matara that I sent all the youths in the country for foreign jobs. However, the truth is that I had the potential to distribute job offers received from Israel, South Korea, and Japan within the Galle District, along with a strategy that could solidify my prospects for parliamentary reelection. However, my political ideology is not rooted in traditional party-based politics; that’s why I distributed them across the country.
Additionally, I was able to distribute school books and used billions of Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment’s money to provide facilities only to Galle and offer youth vocational training only for Galle. I could have also used funds from the Shrama Vasana Fund to distribute school equipment to children in Galle; instead, I selected 500 children from every Divisional Secretariat in the country.
We will commence the distribution of job offers received from Israel, starting from Matale. These opportunities will be equitably distributed across the entire country. I assure you that these job offers will not be used for my personal gains.
Once the youth depart for these job offers, there will be a significant economic uplift within their families as well as the country’s economy. However, some individuals are not in favor of the country’s development as it would deprive them of political talking points. It’s akin to beggars not wanting their wounds to heal. Similarly, they prefer the country’s issues to remain unaddressed.
If I can secure 1.5 million foreign jobs for the 2.4 million families currently receiving benefits from Aswasuma, and if they are able to earn around $2000 per month as skilled migrant workers, the country’s situation would change drastically.
Our country has achieved the fastest tourism development in South Asia and has become one of the top ten destinations in the world. 600,000 tourists have visited in just these three months alone.
This is not the time for opportunistic politics. This is the time when we have to think smartly for the betterment of the country.
Smartness is not about wearing others’ fancy clothes and bragging about it. It is better to wear one’s own clothes, even if they may not fit perfectly. What matters most is if the Rupee appreciates against the US Dollar and the economy is on the right track.
Since I assumed duties, we have been able to bring in $10 billion as remittance. However, we started our campaign by requesting to send $500 million through banks.”
