The Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I begin where the previous Hon. Member ended. When the Government lines up for a good purpose, the Opposition need not hunt for ministerial arrogance; our role is to perform our duty as the Opposition, pointing out errors where they exist.

¶ 02 Let us read properly how these 159 Government MPs came here. The people who truly love this country brought them here, against the previous rulers whose governance broke public trust. That is the point—regardless of which past Government. We are not foolish to claim the Rajapaksas are “clean.” For a decade we critiqued that era. Now that they have been defeated, do not try to lecture us as if the Rajapaksas are on our side.

¶ 03 This 159-seat victory came from the educated, intelligent majority’s votes. The JVP had three to four MPs for decades; I’m in my third term and saw the same. People like The Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe joined and a new political culture emerged, inspiring the nation beyond traditional groups. That is why the people trusted you. Otherwise JVP votes would not have jumped to 6.8 million.

¶ 04 We call someone arrogant not by body language but by substance. A Minister recently said: “Don’t even think of changing governments for 25 years”—just like Gotabaya said. With a two-thirds, they changed the Constitution to bring Basil Rajapaksa to Parliament despite his U.S. citizenship. Yet within 18 months, Gotabaya fled. Being an MP is a public trust; we must understand our responsibility.

¶ 05 I respect many here as professionals making sacrifices. But a few seem to wield this power in strange ways, perhaps with friends who cannot bear it. We, the Opposition, are citizens too. We sit here because we lack the numbers to be in Government, not to sabotage. Do not assume we are here only to destroy the Government. If there are issues, tell us privately; do not paint us as wreckers.

¶ 06 This Budget debate showed many commendable points—more than I saw in the last two Parliaments—giving hope for the future. But there are things that cannot be done, and promises you made in Opposition now challenge you in Government. The people understand this.

¶ 07 President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, “Give us power; in six months we will lift the country.” Does that six months refer to being President alone or with a Parliamentary majority? If the former, the six months ends on 21 March; if the latter, on 14 May. We as the Opposition will stay calm, not hinder you, and give you six months. But did you adopt the right approach to meet the people’s vast expectations? We know not all problems can be solved at once.

¶ 08 Minister Chathuranga spoke on coconut; people misunderstood because it was conveyed poorly. There are good and bad points. Some long power-deprived groups—and a few former Ministers—are trying to seize quick benefits. Professionals here must control that.

¶ 09 If, despite sincere efforts to fight corruption, we see tomorrow the same patterns as the Rajapaksa era, then there is no difference. For example, rice imports: you said no imports, then imported. Sathosa failed several tenders to import—do you accept those mistakes? People who understand Ministry games know how these things happen.

¶ 10 On sports: I spoke extensively in the last Parliament about the Youth and Sports Ministry. Friends of the former President blocked reform. Then Minister Roshan Ranasinghe tried to fix Sri Lanka Cricket, but ended up leaving the Cabinet. If the same happens now, there is no difference between that Government and this.

¶ 11 Sri Lanka Cricket is among the most corrupt institutions, despite huge revenues. COPE saw it firsthand; even the COPE Chairman got entangled and resigned. We asked the current Sports Minister to act. Gather the credible people within NPP, including those with sports expertise, and clean up.

¶ 12 Recently, when I moved to postpone a cricket sitting, the Sports Minister promised to act within 14 days—now passed—with nothing done. Elections are imminent, and new deals are being cut. I say this so that anyone among your 159 who truly cares can hear: a deal is in motion [Expunged on the order of the Chair]. They claim: “We’ll fund an international stadium in Matara; help us win this election.” Land proposed is temple land; Polhena doesn’t even have 9–10 acres as claimed—only a few perches. Instead of building more grounds when we already have five international venues and only four Tests this year (two already lost in Galle), revive cricket performance first.

¶ 13 The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles—what preparation is there? We have a Sports Minister but no visible action. Develop sport, not just build grounds. If you truly want a stadium in Matara, do it properly and hand cricket to those who love and know it, not a band of thieves.

¶ 14 Next month on the 10th, all sports associations have been invited at their request; on the 18th, we debate the Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry’s Head. We will present information then. Some Government backbenchers gave constructive responses last time; that should continue. If so, we will support good measures. But if the Opposition’s points are buried or distorted, our expectations will fail.

¶ 15 Finally, to the Hon. Minister Bimal Rathnayake present: you gave hope to unemployed graduates. They backed you 100 per cent. Yet I do not see clear allocations for them in this Budget. Do not push an educated generation aside with token jobs. Honour promises in this Budget and act accordingly. We will bring further details on 18th. Thank you for the time.