Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Primary Industries Minister Daya Gamage, State ministers Anoma Gamage and Buddhika Pathirana at the event
Pix by Pardeep Pathirana

• Minister Daya Gamage wants new laws to make batik attire mandatory on Fridays 
• Seeks PM’s support to get Cabinet approval

By Yohan Perera 

Primary Industries and Social Empowerment Minister Daya Gamage is to submit a proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers to make people legally bound to be dressed in batik clothing every Friday.

Gamage who announced this move during the opening of the Batik Lanka Exhibition at BMICH yesterday said the objective of this new law was to promote local industries and products and also to give the opportunity to maintain a healthy local market for their products.

Gamage sought Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s support to get the Cabinet to approve the new law.

“Mr. Prime Minister I want your support to get the Cabinet’s approval for a new law which I intend to introduce shortly. This is to make it compulsory for Sri Lankans to wear batik clothing every Friday. 

“The objective of this move is to ensure a local market for such clothing. We have to capture a slice of the local market for our products,” Gamage told Wickremesinghe, who was the chief guest of the event.

He said such laws are practiced in countries such as Indonesia.

At the same time, the minister said it is essential to enhance export markets for local apparels.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe stressed the need to turn the country’s economy into an export-based one. He said the real meaning of saving the nation is stabilizing the country’s economy. 

“Political mandate should be given to those who are capable of enhancing exports and stabilizing the country’s economy,” he stressed.