Jana Aragala Movement National Executive Member Wasantha Mudalige says that if Sri Lanka is ready to re-sign the ETCA agreement with India, it is considered a very dangerous matter. Addressing the media in Colombo, he said:
“We have been clashing with Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government continuously because we have seen the adverse consequences for the country in the political transactions with India.
Even the National People’s Power government strongly criticized Ranil’s political policies within its political program. But if the government is ready to re-sign the ETCA agreement with Prime Minister Modi, we say it is very dangerous. Because this ETCA agreement proposes to liberalize trade in goods and services.
We know that with the current laws regarding trade in services, foreign workers cannot come to Sri Lanka and work as they please. Now India is saying to liberalize these laws.
Even today, there are 500,000 doctors in India without jobs. As soon as the ETCA agreement is signed, all these people will be able to come to Sri Lanka and work.
The rights of Sri Lankan workers, which they have fought for for decades, are not available in any other country,” he said.