Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has declared that certain provisions of the Chinese port city bill, which is opposed by the Opposition, are inconsistent with the Constitution, the country’s Parliament here was told on Tuesday.
Assembly Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, who read out the apex court’s determination in Parliament, said that certain clauses of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill need to be passed with two-thirds majority in the House and through a national referendum.
However, these inconsistencies could be overcome if the government chose to amend them as required by the Supreme Court, he said.
The Supreme Court in April had heard some 18 petitions filed against the bill by the Opposition parties and civil society groups who had sought a national referendum and the passage of it in Parliament by two-thirds majority.
The apex court concluded its examination of the bill on April 23.
The Opposition dubs the bill as the one which would lead to the creation of a Chinese colony in Sri Lanka.
The USD 1.4 billion port city project, which has been exempted from a series of local laws, has come under severe criticism from the Opposition parties, civil society groups and labour unions which allege that the project violated the country’s sovereignty, the Constitution and labour rights.
The debate on the bill was fixed for May 5 but had to be postponed as the Supreme Court’s determination was not conveyed to Parliament by then.
The debate has now been scheduled for Wednesday and the day after.
The Opposition has demanded a minimum 3-day debate.
The bill was gazetted on March 24 and placed in the order paper of Parliament on April 9.
The Opposition questioned the government’s rushed action to have the bill passed without allowing adequate time for public scrutiny.
The petitioners had branded the port commission bill as a threat to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, citing the permission for foreigners to form the board of the commission.
China built the port city on reclaimed sea adjoining the port of Colombo with a USD 1.4 billion investment.
Last month, Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe — the second high-ranking Chinese official to visit the island nation after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic -called on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and discussed ways to further cement bilateral ties, including defence cooperation and post-pandemic economic recovery.
The Chinese Defence Minister’s visit assumed significance in the backdrop of a public diplomacy campaign launched by the Chinese embassy on the Chinese-built Port City in Colombo.
The Colombo Port City project, expected to play a key role in China’s ambitious ‘Maritime Silk Road’ project in India’s backyard, is said to be the single largest private sector development ever in the island nation.