The Association of Information Technology Professionals has slammed Finance State Minister Eran Wickremaratne for his statement on the government's measures to 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. 

In a statement, the Association's President Lasantha Wickremasinghe said, this move by the government was nothing short of a malpractice while describing the Minister's remark as 'unwise and irresponsible. 

The statement also says, "Speaking at a forum promoting economic liberalization, organised 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 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 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. 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.

"Sri Lanka is producing more than 7,000 ICT graduates annually. In such a 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. We are suggesting to 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.

"We urge people of this country to be vigilant of these kinds of acts, which put the Sri Lankan economy in trouble, create a lot of social issues and ultimately put the national security in jeopardy.