Opposition builds up to the creeping Indianisation of SL
* Govt’s secretive ETCA preparations backfire
* GMOA leads opposition to Indianisation of SL
* PM thrashing about in desperation flogs media again
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February 20, 2016, 7:15 pm 
It was the GMOA that blew the lid off one of the government’s closely guarded secrets – the economic and technical cooperation pact that was being planned with India. They published on their website the draft of the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement that had been given to them by the government. For the first time, the public and even the media became aware of what the government was negotiating with India. The term ‘negotiated’ would be misnomer in this case because there is nothing in the agreement to negotiate. Like the aborted Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which the former Congress Party government was pushing, the present Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) also envisages trade in goods, trade in services and investment. But the difference this time is that the much vaunted ETCA is not a real agreement at all but an empty shell which provides only a ‘framework’ for future negotiations.
It’s actual name is not ‘Indo-Sri Lanka Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement’ but ‘Indo-Sri Lanka Economic and Technical Cooperation Framework Agreement’ with the word ‘Framework’ in italics for emphasis. Nothing has been said in this draft framework agreement about the specific provisions relating to the trade in goods, trade in services and investment. If the present draft of ETCA is only a framework without any specifics, the question arises why the government took such elaborate precautions to keep it under wraps. Deputy Minister Harsha de Silva addressing a press conference on Friday said for the first time that there is no agreement as such but only a framework. But he did not explain why this non-agreement was kept such a closely guarded secret.
Another matter that the government has to clarify is, if this proposed pact is only a framework for future negotiations, why sign such a document at all? This writer has not yet met anybody who has heard of a bilateral agreement to agree on certain things later. The earlier negotiations on CEPA fell through due the inability to agree on the specifics. Is it the case that the government thought that even if negotiations fall though again, there will at least be the ‘framework’ agreement to keep the marriage together? This has all the hallmarks of a forced Indian marriage with Sri Lanka as the recalcitrant bride. There are questions over what will take place under this non-specific framework agreement. The signs that have manifested themselves in that respect are not good.
