Gas at home; oiling abroad to invest in Sri Lanka
' What goes around comes around' is a common proverb to show that the consequences of one's actions have to be sometimes dealt with from time to time. So it seems to have happened to Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila-- a strong critic of Islamic practices ranging from halal foods and women's attire to the recent burial dispute i nvo l v i n g
Muslims who have died from COVID-19-- who had to visit Islamic countries in West Asia in search of petrol at concession rates and seek badly needed investments for a dollar starved country.
As leader of a small party, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya in the ruling coalition, Gammanpila was seeking investors from these Islamic countries not only to purchase petrol at concessionary terms but also seek their input, financially, for the exploration of oil and gas in the Mannar Basin which he believes will be the answer to the country's perennial foreign exchange crisis.
After a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Minister proceeded to the Islamic Republic of Iran where he held talks with ministers and the governor of its Central Bank. In keeping with Iran's requirement for women to wear modest clothing which includes a head scarf or hijab, a lady member of the Minister's delegation was required to wear a head scarf along with her saree and blazer. "When in Iran do as the Iranians do", might be what the Minister had to say.