LNP – Ranil calls for new Bill to regulate Port city
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday called for a dialogue between the Government and the opposition to come up with a fresh paper containing regulations to govern the Colombo Port City.
“Let’s all of us get together and discuss for two or three months and see how we can come up with a good paper to administer Colombo Port City,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said in his statement.
“During the last Government, I proposed setting up a financial centre, a modest one. This had nothing to do with the original plan for Colombo Port City. We decided to locate the Financial Centre within Port City. We decided to come up with a Bill in this regard”.
“Why do you want to alienate the ministry of finance from the Port City commission Bill? No country in the world has come up with such a Bill. The Commission has to be under the Central Bank. If not one has to conclude that the purpose of the Bill is to allow financial laundering,” he added.
Some pragmatic advice from the former premier. As at now the opposition and the government is up in arms with regards to the controversial Port City commission Bill. Port City is a key engine for growth in the years to come and let everyone concerned handle it in that light. However skeptics argue that the purpose of the bill of to officially conduct financial laundering.