Aravinda says time to put aside party politics

By Easwaran Rutnam

Businessman and former Sri Lanka Cricket captain Aravinda de Silva says it is time Sri Lanka puts aside party politics in order to create a suitable environment for investors.

Speaking at an online discussion on the investment climate in Sri Lanka, Aravinda de Silva said that investors want to see transparency, trust and stability in policy.

“There needs to be one policy which should be supported by all political parties and the people of the country, if we are to succeed” he said.

The former cricketer said that Sri Lanka has huge opprtunities for investors.

However, he recalled that when the country looks to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) the progress is stalled owing to party politics.

“We need to put aside party politics and support one Government to make sure the country grows. All the political parties need to understand that if and when they come to power there needs to be a country to be governed and to do that you need a stable country first,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aravinda de Silva also noted that Sri Lanka needs to learn from India where people who left are returning and giving back to the country.

He also questioned the decision taken by Sri Lanka last year to move the Asia Cup to Dubai owing to the economic crisis.

Aravinda de Silva said that if Sri Lanka hosted the Asia Cup the country could have earned at least USD 5 million from each of the two India vs Pakistan matches scheduled for the tournament.

He said that Sri Lanka must understand the benefits of the opportunities it gets and not lose out. (Colombo Gazette)