The Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chair, every party makes election promises; the present Government, after coming to power, cites IMF obligations to avoid promises it made while campaigning that it would “not dance to the IMF’s tune.” Now, virtually every proposal aligns with the IMF, and even whether discussions are frank is in question.

¶ 02 On IT services, the President praises them yet imposes a 15% tax on the sector—this is inconsistent. With 159 Government MPs, decisions are taken without listening to stakeholders. Therefore, I proposed in the National Council—and tabled in Parliament—the establishment of a National Policy Commission under the Presidential Secretariat, depoliticized, with a statutory framework to safeguard national policy continuity, while allowing each party to prioritize its manifesto within that framework. A Cabinet Paper was submitted by then PM Dinesh Gunawardena, but it stalled. I urge this Government to constitute the Commission.

¶ 03 Politicization and administrative victimization have increased. Historically, governments utilized officers regardless of political leanings; today, officers who fed the then Opposition with distorted narratives are elevated, leading to misgovernance and demoralization. Capable officers are sidelined or leave; the service risks becoming an incubator that trains talent for the private sector.

¶ 04 Recruitment and pay: attracting professionals—lawyers, accountants, engineers—to ministries is difficult; private sector pays more, and frequent tax/policy shifts worsen it. If current trends continue, core public finance and management functions will suffer.

¶ 05 On graduates: the present Government promised jobs; deliver them. On estate wages: under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the daily wage went to Rs. 1,000. Under Ranil Wickremesinghe, it went to Rs. 1,700; at that time, the now-President Anura Dissanayake said the extra Rs. 300 should go to workers, not owners. Now in power, the Rs. 1,700 is said to be “not feasible.” If so, where does the Rs. 300 go—back to employers? Why the U-turn?

¶ 06 On doctors: they are not asking for new benefits but to retain the long-standing post-1980 method of computing additional duty payments (e.g., 1/80, 1/120). If 1/80 cannot be maintained due to fiscal limits, say so and negotiate—as in 2016 when a compromise formula was used. Do not dismantle established structures without consultation.

¶ 07 Please also address issues in the Public Management Assistants’ Service. Engage with stakeholders as you did in Opposition, and take decisions after dialogue.