Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P.
Profession: Chartered Accountant
Speeches 694 #4 of 225·#1 in party
Attendance 8/8 days present (of recorded)
Top topic Parliamentary Procedure 359 speeches
Last spoke 10 June 2026 in Debate
Activity by sitting
114 sittings · counts only, no scoring.
Topic focus
AI summary AI-assigned tags, 1–3 per speech. Counts only — not a score.
Speech history
694 speeches- 9 January 2025 AI summary Asked for the current unemployment rate as a second supplementary question. Oral Questions Employment Read →
- 9 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake indicated that he would proceed to ask his second supplementary question. Oral Questions Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 9 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake stated that he had asked only one supplementary question. Oral Questions Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 9 January 2025 AI summary Asked whether the amount to be paid would be Rs. 25,000, seeking clarification on the payment figure under discussion. Oral Questions Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 9 January 2025 AI summary Asked whether the Government would provide the stated salary increase. Oral Questions Public Finance Read →
- 9 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake briefly interjects during debate, stating that the other side has already accepted a point being discussed. The remark appears procedural or argumentative in nature, challenging the need for further dispute on that matter. Oral Questions Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 9 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake questioned how the Government intends to address unemployment and fulfil promised salary increases within IMF-agreed expenditure limits. He noted that public service salaries and pensions amount to 6 percent of GDP, or about one-third of the permitted total expenditure of 20 percent of GDP, and asked the Deputy Minister to explain the structured plan for managing these fiscal constraints. Oral Questions EmploymentPublic Finance Read →
- 9 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake asked the Minister of Labour to provide year-by-year data on public and private sector labour force trends, Government employment numbers by permanent and casual categories, salary and emolument costs, and pension payments over the past five to ten years. He also requested projections for the next five to ten years on labour force trends, planned Government recruitment, pension expenditure, and the number of pensioners, or an explanation if such information cannot be provided. Oral Questions EmploymentPublic Finance Read →
- 7 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake argued that economic recovery requires a clear government policy to support SMEs, which he said make up about 70 per cent of the economy and cannot recover under 13–15 per cent interest rates. He asked how the Government would reduce rates to 8–9 per cent, address the mismatch faced by borrowers whose rates rose from 10–12 per cent to about 30 per cent, and strengthen SMEs to mobilize Rs. 3.3 trillion and achieve 15 per cent growth. Oral Question: Economic Projections and Key Development Sectors (Q.234/2024) EmploymentPublic FinanceCost of Living Read →
- 7 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake questioned how the Government plans to achieve the IMF-agreed 2025 growth target of about 15 per cent, or roughly Rs. 5,000 billion in GDP expansion. He argued that inflation targeting alone would be insufficient and asked what measures would be taken to attract domestic and foreign investment, empower SMEs, and expand the economy. Oral Question: Economic Projections and Key Development Sectors (Q.234/2024) EmploymentPublic Finance Read →
- 7 January 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake requested that the ten identified sectors be provided, indicating the need for clarity on the sectoral breakdown being discussed. The intervention appears to be a procedural or informational request seeking specific details rather than a substantive policy argument. Oral Question: Economic Projections and Key Development Sectors (Q.234/2024) Public Finance Read →
- 17 December 2024 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake supported continuing the debt restructuring and IMF-backed programme, arguing that the 2022 sovereign default was unconstitutional because Parliament, under Article 148, had authority over debt management. He outlined the sequence of IMF engagement and domestic, bilateral, multilateral, and commercial debt restructuring, including the December 2024 Macro-linked Bonds agreement, and said failure to conclude the process would have risked renewed instability. He urged the Government to use the agreement to restart growth by lowering interest rates, expanding credit, managing vehicle imports cautiously, increasing exports and FDI, and easing high income tax burdens, including raising the PAYE threshold. Adjournment Debate: International Sovereign Bond Restructuring and IMF Agreement Public FinanceCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
- 17 December 2024 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake congratulated the newly elected Speaker and urged him to restore decorum in Parliament. He pledged support from Members of Parliament and conveyed best wishes on behalf of the United National Party and the NDF. Opening: Parliament Meeting, Affirmations, and Speaker's Election Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 5 December 2024 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake thanked UNP and NDF supporters and welcomed the Vote on Account being presented under the Public Financial Management Act, No. 44 of 2024, while calling for higher standards and renewed public confidence in Parliament. He argued that Sri Lanka must continue the IMF-supported debt restructuring path after the 2022 default, maintain fiscal discipline, raise revenue toward 15 percent of GDP, and protect targets such as low inflation, a primary surplus, and stronger foreign reserves by 2028. He said PAYE in its current form is unfair and urged the Government to design Sri Lankan revenue measures rather than mechanically follow IMF prescriptions, while tabling the 2025 Budget revenue proposals by 17 December. He cited improved SOE financial results and past UNP policy achievements to argue for pragmatic, nationally focused economic management. Debate on Vote on Account for 2025 (continued) Corruption & Governance ReformPublic Finance Read →