The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to investigate the causes of economic bankruptcy in the country and make appropriate recommendations has requested university teachers in the field of economics to determine the factors they believe affected the economic downturn and propose appropriate methods of obtaining the relevant information in this regard.
Speaking to The Daily Morning, PSC Chairman and Government Parliamentarian attorney Sagara Kariyawasam said that the PSC had a fruitful discussion with a group of university teachers on Wednesday (2). “The Deans of the Management Faculties of all universities and senior lecturers attended the second PSC session. There, I explained to them that we should set all our political agendas aside and work to find out what really led to this economic setback and prevent such occurrences in the future. They all agreed to it and expressed their willingness to support the PSC’s affairs, voluntarily.”
When queried as to how the PSC would utilise their support, he said that the PSC had requested the academics to prepare a list of factors they believe led the country towards bankruptcy and submit it within the course of one week. “We requested them to prioritise factors that may have caused the economic crisis, and submit them to the PSC. They were also requested to provide us with proper guidelines on how to obtain the relevant information. They will provide them within one week and we will proceed accordingly.”
Speaking further, Kariyawasam said that during the PSC’s session on Wednesday, a view emerged that the country was due to face an economic setback anyway as a result of the erroneous policies that had been in place for a long time and that the emergence of the crisis was prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the decision taken by then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to ban the use and import of chemical fertilisers and agrochemicals. In addition, he said that various views expressed during the session by participants were of use to the PSC in carrying out its duties.
The PSC chaired by Kariyawasam, who is also the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s General Secretary, was recently appointed by Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana. While Opposition MPs who were appointed as its members are currently boycotting the PSC in protest over Kariyawasam’s appointment as the PSC Chairman and its composition, Kariyawasam has, however, claimed that PSC proceedings would continue in a transparent manner.