The Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, through this week of the second reading debate on the JVP–NPP Government’s inaugural Budget, we kept hearing two former Finance Ministers’ names. We recall how Dr. N. M. Perera presented socialist-oriented, statist Budgets under Mrs. Bandaranaike’s Government (1970–77), and the criticisms those policies drew, and the hardships they brought. Yet, that leadership had a spine to stand by its policy.

¶ 02 Then in 1977, J. R. Jayewardene’s Government came in with five-sixths majority; Hon. Ronnie de Mel introduced the open-economy Budget, again amid immense criticism, but those leaders too had a spine to stand for it.

¶ 03 What do we have today? Signalling left and turning right, a Budget presented saying “there is no other path but the IMF route.” To speak on this Budget, we need two documents: the pre-election “double-pocket” booklet “A Prosperous Country – A Beautiful Life,” and the Budget speech booklet—the “pickpocket.” We cannot ignore them while debating.

¶ 04 Ours is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country. At a time of moral decline, we must see whether adequate attention was paid in the Budget to the upliftment needs of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. For instance, Sri Lanka has 12,940 Buddhist religious centres, about 43,000 monks, 10,646 Daham Pasal with over 1.8 million students and 123,000 volunteer teachers; about 7,150 Hindu temples; around 2,000–2,500 Hindu Daham schools; about 1,600 Catholic catechism schools; in all, approximately 17,000 Daham schools across religions. Yet the Budget allocates only Rs. 1.38 billion for religious education. More attention was required.

¶ 05 I was pleased to read this morning that after 16 years, the Mahanayakes have consented to the President’s request for the exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

¶ 06 Listening to the speech, it is evident the JVP has taken a U-turn on many things. On privatization and PPPs, you once opposed—even took people to the streets—but now the Budget expresses confidence in private participation, including on the Trincomalee oil tank farm as an international JV. You once opposed bringing leading world universities here and mobilized students against private universities, but now express confidence in that as well. You announce facilitating O/L and A/L high-performers to study in foreign universities—good.

¶ 07 On land policy too, you once opposed freeing land for investors; now you propose enabling private investment on lands held by the Land Reform Commission, the State Plantations Corporation, the Janatha Estates Development Board, and Regional Plantation Companies. We welcome this change.

¶ 08 You announce SATHOSA relief packs for low-income earners—timed for the “election month” rather than the traditional New Year month. You promised zero VAT on essential foods in your “double-pocket” book, but now there is no such VAT relief; instead, limited packs reach only a handful of households per village.

¶ 09 People still recall how the JVP once went house to house to forcefully collect IDs; now you propose a digital ID.

¶ 10 You promised many items in that book but omitted them here: reducing VAT on medicines and essential goods; reducing prices of school books and supplies; agricultural implements and fertilizer concessions; bringing VAT on essentials to zero. None of that is in the Budget.

¶ 11 You also promised to strengthen Agrahara insurance for public servants—today, nothing. Teachers were promised to be among the top 10 paid professions—today, silence. Public servants carried you to power; they now feel deceived. This staged salary increase over three years is seen as a sleight of hand. Why publish the next two years’ increases now—because you lack confidence you can present the next two Budgets, or to inflate this one?

¶ 12 There is much on expenditure, but little clarity on revenue. Earlier, you scoffed at debt servicing, saying “Is paying debt such a big deal?” and that dollars would rain from your overseas billionaire friends. Now you say there is no alternative to the IMF.

¶ 13 As Nelson Mandela said, failed rulers are identified after they gain power. In these months, who has seen revival? Trishaw drivers who rallied for you? Paddy farmers whom you promised Rs. 154/kg? Consumers awaiting VAT relief on food and medicine? Parents awaiting school supply relief? Small tea holders, cinnamon growers, other smallholders? Fisherfolk awaiting fair fuel and usable seas? Teachers awaiting the swift resolution of disparities? Nurses who sat with you on stage—have they seen relief, or reductions? In truth, the only “revival” during your rule has been of the underworld, while a so-called national security expert lectures on public security.

¶ 14 People are watching your old words and current deeds closely. Many hopes pinned on this Budget have been dashed. Thank you for the time.

¶ 15 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees: Order, please! For the lunch interval, proceedings are suspended till 1.00 p.m.

¶ 16 Sitting accordingly suspended till 1.00 p.m. and then resumed.

¶ 17 Next, Hon. Nishantha Perera. You have 10 minutes.