Harin Fernando

From TobaccoUnmasked

Background

Harin Fernando is a Sri Lankan politician representing United National Party (UNP), one of the two main political parties in Sri Lanka and the ruling party from 2015 to 2019. He is a Member of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka elected from the Badulla District. He served as a cabinet Minister of Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure facilities, Foreign Employment and Sports from 2015 to November 2019.[1][2]

In March 2020, he joined the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the political alliance comprised with 12 political parties led by a group of politicians previously affiliated to United National Party.[3] In May 2022, during the Aragalaya (a series of mass public protests against the government of Sri Lanka) he joined the government and was sworn in as the Minister of Tourism and Lands.[4] He resigned from the position after the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 9 July 2022 and was reappointed to the same position by the succeeding President Ranil Wickremasinghe on 22 July 2022.[5][6] Subsequently he was expelled from Samagi Jana Balawegaya due to the acceptance of ministerial portfolio under a UNP president. Later he was readmitted to the United National Party.[7][8]

Born in 1978 in Wattala, Sri Lanka, he comes from a family of businessmen and was a businessman prior to joining politics. He obtained his formal education at St Joseph’s College, Colombo 10. Married to a granddaughter of a famous politician Vincent Dias (representing UNP in Uva Province Sri Lanka), he is father to a son and a daughter.[9][10][11]

Image 1: Minister Harin Fernando[12]

Political positions held

  • 2005 to date - United National Party (UNP) electoral organiser for Badulla District.[13].
  • 2005 to 2010 – Member of Uva provincial council. [14].
  • 2010 to 2014 (August 5th) – Member of parliament from Badulla district [13]
  • January 2015 to September 2015 - 7th chief minister of Uva province.
  • 2015 to October 2018 - Cabinet Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure.
  • December 2018 to November 2019 – Minister of Telecommunication, Foreign employment and Sports.[1]
  • 20 May 2022 to 9 July 2022; 22 July 2022 to present – Minister of Tourism and Lands[4][6]
  • 27 November 2023 to present - Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs [15]

Tobacco Related Activities

Historical Maduwanwela Walawwa Land given on lease to Ceylon Tobacco Company

In November 2023, Harin Fernando presented a proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers to lease a plot of land from Maduwanwela Nindagam Watte (ancestral lands of Maduwanwela clan) to Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC). According to the media, it was given to CTC on a 30-year lease for a forest farming project. The land in question was 87 acres 3 roods and 25 perches in extent, which previously belonged to the Land Reforms Commission.[16] Please see our page on Historical Maduwanwela Walawwa Land given on lease to Ceylon Tobacco Company for more details.

Statement on smoking behavior

Harin Fernando stated in an interview on YouTube with a TV talk show host that he initiated his smoking in the Parliament and the first cigarette was given by the Member of Parliament Manusha Nanayakkara.[17]

Opposing the Single Stick Ban

In 2017, Harin Fernando opposed the proposal made by the minister of health to the Cabinet of Ministers to ban the sale of single cigarette sticks.[18][19]

Attending a Business Forum organized by the League of Multinational Corporates (LMNC)

Minister Fernando attended a business forum on 28th September 2018 at The Blue, Hilton Colombo organized by the League of Multinational Corporates (LMNC) an association with links to the tobacco industry.[20][21] Please refer to our page League of Multinational Corporates (LMNC) for more details.

Image 2: Minister Fernando at the event League of Multinational Corporates (LMNC). Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC) and LMNC Chairman Michael Koest, Keynote speaker of the event Jim Lawless, Minister Harsha de Silva and Minister Sagala Ratnayake are also in the picture.[20]

Alcohol related activities

Proposal to issue soft liquor license

In June 2022, Harin presented a cabinet paper to issue the soft liquor license for all tourist institutions registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and Cabinet approved it.[22][23] Harin posted in his social media accounts that “this will help promote tourism and bring foreign revenue for the country” and “this decision will pave way for a massive and positive impact on tourism”.[24][25]

Image 4: Excerpt of twitter post published by Harin Fernando on Cabinet approval of soft liquor license. Source: Twitter[24]

A Christmas tree bearing the logo of a beer company

As reported in the official Facebook page of Harin Fernando, the Ministry of Tourism, Lands, Sports and Youth Affairs planned to implement many programmes to attract domestic and foreign tourists to celebrate Christmas. It further mentioned that a special programme started on 17 December 2023 at the Galle Face premises and the suburbs in Colombo highlighted by illuminations with electric lights. Among those, there was a Christmas tree bearing the logo of the Carlsberg beer company decorated with light bulbs of their signature green colour (Image 3).[26]

Image 3: Christmas tree established at the Galle face ground bearing the logo of Carlsberg beer company. Source: Facebook [26]

Several other similar Christmas trees were reported via the TobaccoUnmasked HotSpots on 12 December 2023 at SPAR supermarket premises (Image 4) and on 23 December 2022 at the Galle Face premises (Image 5).

Image 4: Christmas tree established at SPAR supermarket premises in Wattala. Source: TobaccUnmasked HotSpots
Image 5: Christmas tree established at the Galle Face premises. Source: TobaccoUnmasked HotSpots

Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) recommends measures to the Parties to protect their public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.

Tobacco Unmasked Resources

The local language translations

TobaccoUnmasked_Sinhala
TobaccoUnmasked_Tamil



Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Office of the Cabinet of Ministers of Sri Lanka. Official Website, undated, accessed January 2019
  2. ↑ Parliament of Sri Lanka, Directory of Members, undated, accessed January 2018
  3. ↑ adaderana.lk. ‘Samagi Jana Balawegaya’ launched, 2 March 2020, accessed January 2024
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 adaderana.lk. Nine more cabinet ministers sworn in, 20 May 2022, accessed January 2024
  5. ↑ adaderana.lk. Manusha and Harin resign from ministerial portfolios, 9 July 2022, accessed January 2024
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 adaderana.lk. New Cabinet of Ministers sworn in, 22 July 2022, accessed January 2024
  7. ↑ Colombo Times. MPs Harin and Manusha were suspended from SJB for taking up ministerial posts in the government, 20 May 2022, accessed January 2024
  8. ↑ Colombo Gazette. Harin and Manusha back in the UNP, 2 August 2023, accessed January 2023
  9. ↑ I Jayawardena. Living his dream…, Daily News, 30 September 2015, accessed November 2019
  10. ↑ U. Amarasinghe. A Promise to Deliver, Cover Story, BusinessToday.lk, September 2016, accessed November 2019
  11. ↑ B Dalima. Family members and politics – topic of discussion during Uva PC, www.newsfirst.lk, 22 September 2014, accessed November 2019
  12. ↑ H Fernando. Harin Fernando, 1 January 2019, accessed November 2019
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Manthri.lk. Harin Fernando, undated, accessed January 2018
  14. ↑ Uva Provincial Council. website, undated, accessed January 2018
  15. ↑ The Island Online. Harin Fernando sworn in as Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Pavithra Wanniarachchi as Minister of Irrigation after President relieves Roshan Ranasinghe of all portfolios, 27 November 2023, accessed January 2024
  16. ↑ adaderana.lk. Nine more cabinet ministers sworn in, 20 May 2022, accessed January 2014
  17. ↑ Truth with Chamuditha. ඇමතිකම ගන්න රෙදි විතරක් නෙමෙයි යටටත් ඇඳලයි ගියේ. සජිත් දාල යන්න එපා කියුවා. -Truth with Chamuditha, 24 May 2022, accessed March 2024
  18. ↑ D. Liyanage. No ban on single stick cigarette ban, Daily Mirror, 17 September 2017, accessed November 2018
  19. ↑ Sunday Times. Rajitha’s loose cigarettes go up in smoke, 16 September 2016, accessed November 2018
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Mirror Business. ‘League of Multinational Corporates’ Launched, 01 October 2018, accessed March 2019
  21. ↑ Daily FT. MNC speak up, 01 October 2018, accessed March 2019
  22. ↑ adaderana.lk. Cabinet nod to issue soft liquor licenses to SLTDA registered establishments, 13 June 2022, accessed March 2023
  23. ↑ The Morning. Cabinet approves soft liquor licenses for SLTDA registered establishments, 13 June 2022, accessed March 2024
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Harin Fernando. Twitter, 13 June 2022, accessed March 2024
  25. ↑ Harin Fernando. Facebook, 13 June 2022, accessed March 2024
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Facebook page. Harin Fernando, 17 December 2023, accessed January 2024
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