Former Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, Manusha Nanayakkara, publicly acknowledged during a gathering held at Galle Fort today (18) that out of the 10,000 overseas job opportunities, 2,000 were specifically allocated to Galle, giving special consideration to the youth of the area.
A portion of his speech has been shared on his Facebook account.
“In recent times, there have been numerous accusations when discussing foreign employment. Claims were made that people were charged money to go to foreign countries. We are now saying publicly, did we offer jobs at Balapitiya? Did anyone take money?” (He asks a parent of someone who migrated abroad, who replies with a ‘no’).
Nanayakkara also asked a few others whether money was taken when their sons were sent abroad, to which they replied ‘no.’
“We only provided government money, and that too as bank loans. Yet, accusations were made. However, one thing is certain: most of the people sent abroad were from Galle. If not for that, what would be the point of me being a Member of Parliament for Galle? If 10,000 people were sent abroad, then 2,000 of them were from Galle. It doesn’t matter. The people of Galle voted for me. If I don’t work for the people who voted for me, then why should I be a Member of Parliament? It’s the right thing to do. That’s how jobs should be given,” he said.