The Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) today condemned as “irresponsible and unwise” the statement made by State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne, regarding providing ICT jobs in Sri Lanka to foreign professionals. 

Speaking at a forum promoting economic liberalization, organized by Colombo-based Advocata Institute and Fraser Institute of Canada, state minister Eran Wickramaratne has expressed, “Sri Lanka would soon introduce legislation for the Immigration Controller to act as the sole authority to expedite bringing in foreigners to be employed in the ICT sector in Sri Lanka”. 

He has further stated that: “Earlier the company concerned has to make an application to the relevant Ministry then to the ICTA Agency and then the Department of Immigration to gain approval. This takes a long time and now we have come up with a system where the Immigration Controller would be given the powers to approve a working Visa.”

The Association of Information Technology Professionals, issuing a statement, said that it considers this move as a malpractice. 

“We vehemently condemn such irresponsible and unwise comment made by a minister. It is the responsibility of the government to find solutions to increase the efficiency of the process if there is an inefficiency in the process.” 

The association states that using information technology effectively to increase the efficiency of this process would be one of the good options. “No such robust action has been taken, instead, the government is suggesting to remove the necessary steps of the process putting the entire nation in an insecure state by such short-sighted act.”

AITP says that Sri Lanka is producing more than 7000 ICT graduates annually and that in such context, Sri Lankan ministers should put their efforts in finding more job opportunities to Sri Lankan ICT professionals in developed countries to earn foreign exchange to the country. 

“Unfortunately, the government ministers are working very hard to promote exactly the opposite of that.” The government ministers are so keen to provide ICT jobs in Sri Lanka to foreign professionals in a circumstance that there is no shortage of ICT professionals in Sri Lanka, the statement said. 

“We are suggesting the government to promote Sri Lankan ICT professionals and other professionals to work abroad to earn foreign exchange to get rid of ‘the strategy’ of finding foreign remittance by sending mothers of the nation to the Middle East.”