RFP (Request for Proposals) is the catch word for Privatization ….
Posted on August 15th, 2016
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
Large State Owned Organizations are calling RFP’s with a view of privatization of loss making sometimes profit making Institutions. PPP (Public Private Partnership) is also an alternative to fully privatization.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has called many RFP‘s for their ports and port related Industries.
So far nothing happened and I doubt that anything could happen in our life time
These ae few RFP’s which were prepared by the SLPA top managers and the current status
Trincomalee Harbour and the surrounding areas was the subject of an RFP under previous government and the new government came to power and cancel the previous RFP and now handed over to a Singaporean Firm.
Hambantota port area was subjected to a RFP during last regime and nothing happened even though there were proposals to start cement bagging, flour bagging, plastic bottle manufacturing plan.
New government is now planning to hand over the land in extent of 5000 Ha to Chinese with no proper plans.
Bunkering services in Hambantota was earmarked for privatization, so far nothing happened
I note that Mattala Airport is also for a grab and I cannot see any country will come unless there is a vested interest of the countries defence is concerned.
Big talk about a very large Ship Repair and Building Facility in Hambantota to be built by Chinese. They are supposed to give a financial proposals .Nothing happened.
Part of Galle harbour was part privatised to establish a shipyard and now government wants to establish a fully-fledged Marina ,and even plan to expel the Navy .If they expel Navy they have to expel Fishery Harbour also which is the main polluter of Galle Harbour .I doubt that they can do it
RFP’s called for Colombo East and North Harbours .I cannot expect anything to happen by watching the performance of SGT and other container yards.
Fishery Corporation wants private sector from Korea to come for the rescue .Nothing will happen unless Dikovita harbour and some 200 acres for Muthurajawela is allocated for installing cool rooms Government does not have people who are bald enough to propose such plans.
PPP was proposed for all Fishery Harbours like the one in Madera, but government is mum about it.
Sri Lankan Airlines with a bad debt is up for a grab under a RFP .Nothing may happened. Garuda and Turkish Airline are eyeing.
CEB calls many RFP’s for power generation nothing is happening.
CPC is trying hard to get Exploration under a RFP. No firm decisions were made so far
My proposal is the that the whole government should be privatised under a PPP program like Singapore .leaving Transport ,Defence ,Police and Land Bank under the state and everything else under privatization including Ports ,education and health and even water and Power .
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
August 16th, 2016 at 2:23 am
Dr. Sarath Obeysekara Sir:
Why don’t you go join that treacherous Ranil and work with him? Then you can implement his regaining Sri Lanka and privatize everything in sight. We should not privatize anything whatsoever in Sri Lanka, except maybe one or two seriously loss making state enterprises, even that if absolutely necessary. State enterprises belong to the people of Sri Lanka in common and is not the private property of Ranil or yourself.
The main reason that state enterprises are loss making is because people are provided water, electricity etc. at extremely subsidised prices so that the people do not feel the pain of paying the actual full price. In other countries water and electricity is much more expensive than in Sri Lanka. What is needed for state enterprises to succeed is good management. If there is good management, state enterprises can succeed.
August 16th, 2016 at 2:47 am
When the day comes when this treacherous, deshadrohi, extreme ultra right wing UNP separatist, terrorist and US imperialist supporting sepoy, lackey government comes to an end, all those state enterprises which were unreasonably privatized (by selling at very small prices to their UNP friends who helped the UNP financially to win elections) by this treacherous government will again be bought back by the state and nationalized.
Therefore I would warn private buyer of any unjust (not those few cases which can be justified on reasonable grounds) privatizations, be warned, they will be taken back by the state and you may end up making a loss.
The Pelawatte, Kanthale sugar plantations, KKS, Puttlam cement factories, Valachchanai paper making factory, all these should resume production for the benefit of the people as state owned enterprises as soon as possible.
Also the state or the government should as soon as they can build a few rubber processing factories where we can make our own tyres and save us a lot of foreign exchange importing tyres. Also we should build at least five or six fish tin canning factories and start exporting canned fish to other countries and for local consumption too thus saving us a massive amount of foreign exchange.
We should also build at least five or six fruit juice and jam factories and use our abundant fruit and vegetables to make fruit juice and jam thus saving us a massive amount of foreign exchange.
We should also create both inorganic and organic fertilizer generating factories ourselves in all rural districts and again saving us much foreign exchange.
We should also change our diet to rice consumption rather than consuming large amounts of wheat based products which totally drains our foreign exchange.
We should also improve our fruit, vegetable, fish etc. storage, preservation and transport to market system so fruit, vegetables, fish, eggs, all perishable foods are not wasted during storage, preservation and transport. We can consult and acquire the aid of a foreign country to implement such a plan.
We should bring on such experts as Dr. Garvin Karunaratne to implement vocational training to starting their SMEs programme or youth employment generation programme as stated by him in many articles and books. Then the over four lakhs unemployed youth can easily find employment via SME start ups.
I hope the next patriotic government who will come to power implement these ideas as soon as possible to build up our economy and make Sri Lanka self sufficient again.