Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, M.P.
Profession: Economist
Speeches 295 #15 of 225·#6 in party
Attendance 6/8 days present (of recorded)
Top topic Parliamentary Procedure 167 speeches
Last spoke 10 June 2026 in Debate
Activity by sitting
86 sittings · counts only, no scoring.
Topic focus
AI summary AI-assigned tags, 1–3 per speech. Counts only — not a score.
Speech history
295 speeches- 19 June 2025 AI summary Hon. Harsha de Silva presented the Committee on Public Finance report on stamp duty and import/export control regulations, noting that the report was ordered to lie upon the Table. He highlighted issues requiring further examination, including stamp duty on long-term leases, the need to align casino machine imports with forthcoming casino legislation and maintain a separate registry, and possible revenue losses from applying a 15% depreciation allowance to nearly new imported vehicles classified as used. He said a random sample indicated a potential Rs. 257 million revenue loss and that the Committee had requested further study by the Ministry of Finance. Papers Presented Public FinanceCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
- 18 June 2025 AI summary Dr. Harsha de Silva briefly intervened to note that a point of order was being raised amid an interruption. No substantive policy argument, proposal, or question was presented in this intervention. Procedural: Adjournment Motion Dispute and House Adjournment Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 June 2025 AI summary Asked the Chair to specify the Standing Order being relied upon to prevent the Leader of the Opposition from presenting a Motion. Procedural: Adjournment Motion Dispute and House Adjournment Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 June 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva raised a point of order before the Deputy Speaker. No substantive issue or argument was presented in the excerpt provided. Procedural: Adjournment Motion Dispute and House Adjournment Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 June 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva rose on a point of Order. No substantive argument, proposal, or question is contained in the provided text. Procedural: Adjournment Motion Dispute and House Adjournment Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 June 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva briefly criticized the House’s reliance on Standing Orders in its proceedings. No specific proposal, question, or policy issue was raised in the excerpt. Procedural: Adjournment Motion Dispute and House Adjournment Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 23 May 2025 AI summary As Chair of the Committee on Public Finance, Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva rejected claims that about Rs. 22 trillion in borrowings were “missing” or unaccounted for. He explained that borrowed funds are often reflected as assets or expenditure under public entities such as the Mahaweli Authority and the Road Development Authority, and noted that reconciliation work by the Comptroller General and Auditor-General is already underway. He urged responsible public statements on the matter to avoid misinformation. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Public Finance Read →
- 23 May 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva raised a point of Order. No substantive argument, proposal, or policy issue was stated in the provided excerpt. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 23 May 2025 AI summary Dr. Harsha de Silva argued that the Government’s new economic framework depends on private investment in infrastructure to achieve its promised capital expenditure targets for the year. He criticized the Government for presenting market-based reforms while, in his view, restricting investment opportunities, recalling a point he made during the 2025 Budget Second Reading debate. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Public FinanceInfrastructure Read →
- 23 May 2025 AI summary Opposition Members would address the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, while attention was directed to the Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill as part of implementing the Public Debt Management Act by centralizing government borrowing under the Treasury. The repeal was supported as a debt-discipline measure, but concerns were raised that new rules requiring stress tests and sovereign guarantee premia for SOE borrowing could constrain infrastructure financing, especially given past excessive guaranteed debt and unresolved liabilities such as SriLankan Airlines’ defaulted international borrowing. It was argued that the Government’s stance on retaining SriLankan Airlines under state ownership and proposed electricity sector amendments restricting private investment were inconsistent with the need for capital, and that without greater private participation Sri Lanka was unlikely to meet its large public capital expenditure targets. Debate: Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill and Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading EmploymentInfrastructurePublic Finance Read →
- 23 May 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva presented the Committee on Public Finance report on the Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill, which had been referred to the Committee. The report was ordered to lie upon the Table. Papers: Financial Statements of Central Bank and Committee Report on Foreign Loans (Repeal) Bill Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 22 May 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva questioned procurement and governance decisions related to power generation and the e-NIC project, alleging possible conflicts of interest and large-scale corruption. He argued that a purported dual-fuel power plant was operating on diesel at far higher unit costs than claimed, and called for scrutiny of CEB leadership and board interests. He also opposed the Cabinet decision to buy 15 million polycarbonate e-NIC cards, saying it duplicated the India-funded Unique ID initiative and that cheaper PVC cards would suffice if cards were needed. While supporting funding for the Bribery Commission, he urged it to investigate major procurement-related conflicts of interest, not only smaller bribery cases. Debate: Regulations under Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969 and Disposal of Property Act Resolutions Public FinanceCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
- 22 May 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva asked for clarification on the amount of speaking time allotted to him, querying whether he had 14 minutes or 12 minutes. Debate: Regulations under Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969 and Disposal of Property Act Resolutions Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 22 May 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva noted support for increasing the Bribery Commission’s advance payment facility for undercover operations from Rs. 50 million to Rs. 150 million, but argued that anti-corruption action must also address larger procurement and conflict-of-interest issues. He questioned the lack of follow-up on the Committee on Public Finance report on the e-Visa outsourcing process, including the pending forensic audit and accountability for alleged non-competitive procurement and excessive charges. He also raised concerns about conflict-of-interest standards in public appointments, including the reported Auditor-General nomination and roles in state enterprises, and queried the basis for reducing rooftop solar tariffs when a Cabinet paper cited a much higher levelized cost for the Sobadanavi power plant. Debate: Regulations under Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969 and Disposal of Property Act Resolutions Public FinanceCorruption & Governance Reform Read →
- 22 May 2025 AI summary The report of the Committee on Public Finance was presented, concerning Resolutions under the Appropriation Act, No. 34 of 2023, listed as Nos. 01 to 10 in the Supplement to Order Book No. 2(2) dated 14 May 2025. The report was ordered to lie upon the Table. Presentation of Committee Reports Parliamentary ProcedurePublic Finance Read →
- 21 May 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva sought clarification regarding references to the online visa issue, stating that the Committee on Public Finance had previously brought the matter before Parliament and court, including concerns about threats. He asked the Government to clarify which Opposition Members were being referred to and raised concern over the delay in appointing an Auditor General. As Chair of the Committee on Public Finance, he questioned whether a politically influenced appointment was being considered and emphasized the need for the Auditor General’s independence. Debate: Finance Act Order - Tax Exemptions and Government Policy on Renewable Energy Parliamentary ProcedureCorruption & Governance ReformPublic Finance Read →
- 20 May 2025 AI summary Hon. Harsha de Silva sought to raise a point of order after stating that his name had been mentioned and allegations made against him. He objected that he had not been allowed to respond procedurally and challenged the Chair for not recognizing his request. Debate: Order under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act - Electric Vehicle Tax Revision (Continued) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 20 May 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva raised a procedural objection questioning why speaking time was being allocated only to the government side. He implied concern over unequal distribution of debate time and sought clarification from the Chair. Debate: Order under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act - Electric Vehicle Tax Revision (Continued) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 20 May 2025 AI summary Dr. Harsha de Silva questioned why Members on the opposing side were not being allowed to speak. The intervention raised a procedural concern about the conduct of the debate and the opportunity for opposition Members to participate. Debate: Order under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act - Electric Vehicle Tax Revision (Continued) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 20 May 2025 AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva briefly rejected the preceding claim, stating that “there is no such thing,” and requested that he be given the microphone. Debate: Order under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act - Electric Vehicle Tax Revision (Continued) Parliamentary Procedure Read →