The Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara today (19) said that the very group of individuals who promise to save the country, resulting in the loss of 60,000 young lives in the past, are still causing similar harm now by obstructing youth from finding foreign employment opportunities.
The Minister expressed these views, during the inauguration of the special residential job training for individuals selected for agricultural sector jobs in Israel began today at Umandawa Global Buddhist Village.
This program was inaugurated under the patronage of the Minister and the founder of Umandawa Global Buddhist Village, Venerable Siri Samanthabhadra Thero.
The program aims to provide extensive job training as well as attitude development to those selected for jobs in the agricultural sector in Israel. Under this program, necessary training will be provided to successfully fulfill duties in Israel and, upon returning to Sri Lanka, to succeed as an entrepreneur.
The Minister went to say:
“This is a global village. When we arrived in Umandawa at night, I was struck by the solemnity of the place and felt inspired to establish a training center here. It was clear to me that this location has the potential to bring about significant changes in the world.
Under this program, our primary aim is not to provide training in the agriculture, industry, and construction sectors. The main purpose here is to impart life skills. While there are many institutions offering training in the agro-industry in the country, there are no places where one can learn essential life skills.
We concluded that the best place to develop people’s skills and attitudes would be Umandawa. The required disciplined environment and essential guidance are readily available here. We witnessed firsthand how the agricultural industry has been modernized in Umandawa, making it possible to gather a wide range of scattered knowledge from this place. We send young individuals to Israel, along with many other countries. Our goal is to create an environment for returned migrant workers where they can achieve success in life upon their return.
This marks the beginning of a social progress, with the program aimed at transforming our country into a nation brimming with entrepreneurs and individuals passionate about our land. We extend our gratitude to Venerable Siri Samanthabhadra Thero for the full support and encouragement.
There is a serious issue concerning youth and education in this country. Our education system fails to cultivate critical thinking skills. Instead, it produces individuals who lack the ability to think independently, and even higher education often results in individuals who simply memorize information. Furthermore, the media contributes to creating citizens who lack a clear vision and simply drift along. We are committed to changing this narrative and endeavoring to transform and rebuild our country.
There are various arguments against sending the country’s workers to foreign jobs. However, we view this as a national responsibility. In the recent past, we succeeded in bringing 10 billion US dollars to this country in the form of foreign remittances.
A couple of years ago, it was hard to obtain the oil and gas necessary for the country. However, another group conducted a campaign urging migrant workers to refrain from transferring remittances. As a result, our own people had to wait in queues for fuel and other essential items, and unfortunately, some lost their lives while waiting. Those who campaigned not to transfer remittances have friends who provide for their needs, but there is no one to do the same for the country’s people. That’s why we took action to change the situation. We are here today because it is our national responsibility to bring about change in the country.
I noticed that there is strong opposition to sending young individuals abroad. During a rally in Matara, Handunnetti and another individual named Chathuranga stated that youth should not be offered foreign employment opportunities.
These people claim that Sri Lanka should have an industrial-based economy and question our efforts to provide foreign employment opportunities for youth. But is it possible to create a manufacturing economy overnight? What should be done to find foreign exchange that is essential for the country?
These people are waiting for the country to suffer. As we all know, the most selfish family in the village does not want anyone to succeed. Despite our repeated requests to the public not to pay anyone to find foreign jobs, they are still paying money in hopes of finding foreign employment opportunities.
Lak Amma, who claims to be stepping forward to save the country, is the one who fraudulently took large sums of money, promising to provide foreign employment opportunities.
Additionally, a JVP member of the Ambalantota Pradeshiya Sabha sent young individuals to Myanmar, where they were employed in credit card fraud. Finally, we were able to bring them back to Sri Lanka yesterday. Those who claim to save the country are the ones who put the people in trouble. These people killed 60,000 youths by creating opposition to India. Similarly, this is happening today as well, setting a trap for youths opposing the departure for foreign employment opportunities.
There is no difference in our relationship with Israel’ or Iran as we remain to be members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
We will not terminate the employment agreement with Israel under any circumstances. We are working to guide Sri Lankans into numerous fields in the future. Please rely only on information from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment and my official social media account.