Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Sometimes back I was invited by Nandana Lokuwithana to discuss the possibility of setting up a ship breaking yard, using Turkish technology to minimize  environment pollution. With some political backing he flew over Trinco to select an area within the harbour ,where we were discussing how to  place a floating dock on to which old ships can be hauled in and broken up.I even suggested that we should install a floating LNG plant and use the gasified LNG to run generator to supply power to CEB and use part of LNG to melt the steel .His plan was to transport steel  billets to Oruwala by train.This was an ideal project and he was willing to find investments.

People say that he is from Rural Pollonaruwa and went to Dubai to do a small job, and later acquired some means to buy off the Steel Mill owned by Koreans who were not running it well.Whether it is his own money or he was acting as proxy,his ideas were brilliant and sustainable .Some people stash the money in many other countries like Switzerland or Panama ,but the money is coming back to our country ,Hence the claim that he was using someone else’s money  is Sri Lanka is better than buying Yachts in Monaco and buy properties in US or South of France.

It is such a stupidity to stop the tyre industry in Horana where rubber is availabe,which he intends to start with his own investment and putting a fork to his drive wheel  by shortsighted politicians who may be wanting a small cut from the investment .

The claim that land was given at 100 Rs per acre may be only way he could justify the investment. If you try to get state valuation for a land which is abandoned , for a use which can derive tangible and intangible benefits ,why not ?

Even Lee Kwan Yew, father of modern Singapore did the same thing .Land was almost given free, so that he could entice them to invest.

Sri Lanka can never grow with such attitudes, We have to be more forward looking if we need to develop.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera