One of three Casino regulations passed with majority of 71 votes- 68 govt, Opp. MPs shun vote, Ven. Ratana votes against it
By Saman Indrajith-April 24, 2014
Parliament yesterday passed one of the three controversial regulations gazetted under the Strategic Development Projects Act and criticized by the Opposition as an open licence for casinos in the country.
After the debate, Chief Opposition whip John Amaratunga asked for a division by name. The regulation received 113 votes in favour and 42 votes against. The regulation was passed with a majority of 71 votes. The UNP, DNA, TNA voted against the regulation. The JHU member Ven. Aturaliye Ratana thera, too, voted against the regulation.
Sixty eight members representing both the government and the Opposition, however, skipped the vote.
Among those who missed yesterday’s vote were Gamini Lokuge, Rishad Bathiudeen, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Sumedha G. Jayasena, Susil Premjayantha, Athauda Seneviratne, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Rauf Hakeem, Basheer Segu Dawood, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Wimal Weerawansa, Premalal
Jayasekera, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Neomal Perera, Muththu Sivalingham, M.L.M Hisbullah, Hassen Ali, Mohammed Aslam, Sajin Vas Gunawardena, Palani Digambaram, Manusha Nanayakkara, Ramesh Pathirana, N. Basnayake, Chamika Buddadasa, Ven. Ellawela Medhananda thera, Roshan Ranasinghe, Ruwan Ranatunga, Lohan Ratwatte, Namal Rajapaksa, P. Radhakrishnan, Udith Lokubandara, Vidura Wickremanayake, Neranjan Wickremesinghe, Erik Prasanna, Shehan Semasinghe, M Faris, Kanaka Herath and J. Farook
The debate began after Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa ruled that there was no provision in Standing Orders of Parliament to move any amendments to the gazette as proposed by the UNP and the JVP.
Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said he would categorically state that there was no hidden agenda to legalise casinos under those regulations.
Minister of Investment Promotion Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, who introduced the regulations, too, said that they did not contain provisions to set up casinos.
However, UNP MP Harsha De Silva said that the government was hoodwinking the people by hiding its real agenda.
The gazette notification provides for tax concessions for an Integrated Super Luxury Tourist Resort consisting of 500 rooms besides high end shopping malls, high quality residencies and office spaces/services, with associated facilities at D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo 10. It is a project by Queensbury Leisure Ltd.
The Foreign Direct Investment of the Project is USD 200 mn.
The concessions will cover income taxes, customs duties on importation of project related items as well as Value Added Tax (VAT).
Other regulations including one concerning Australian casino king James Packer’s Crown Resort is scheduled to be taken up for debate today (25).
