The Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana

¶ 01 Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the 2026 Budget. I listened keenly to the President’s four-and-a-half-hour speech. Government MPs and Ministers applauded 83 times. In past Budgets, we too banged the table and applauded, then woke up to unexpected realities. The best weapon to gain power is falsehood, but that weapon cannot sustain power—the people stop believing. Over three days of this debate, a major Opposition charge is that less than 50 percent of the 2025 Budget allocations were spent. If you think the Opposition will simply praise everything, you are mistaken. This is your second Budget; if you think all is right, the Government will not correct its errors. We must point them out.

¶ 02 Remember there are 1.3 million public servants. You have allocated billions in 2026, but by 31 December you won’t reach 50 percent execution. Why? Officers are afraid and avoid decisions—from local bodies to the Presidential Secretariat—fearing repercussions even for good-faith actions. Hence 2025 funds remained unspent.

¶ 03 Your Government was highly popular and got the highest votes. Yet within months, farmers—onion, paddy, potato, and turmeric growers—protested. These were your own supporters. Teachers, principals, graduates, and fisherfolk, too. Ask why. Three-wheeler drivers, who championed your campaign, now complain—go and ask them directly on the ground.

¶ 04 Sri Lanka is now the second most expensive country to live in South Asia, per the Daily Mirror of 31 October 2025. If people were truly better off, would that be so?

¶ 05 Recall how defeats began at cooperative elections—first in small votes, then larger ones, and finally Government and Presidency. Recently, you lost cooperatives in Udunuwara, Nivithigala, Galagedara, Baddegama, Liyanagemulla, Gampola, and Beralapanathara. This is an early warning. Secure your local councils; losing them hurts Government morale.

¶ 06 We will give full support to genuine development proposals. For example, the President proposed a sea-level road by Galle Face to ease Colombo congestion. As former Highways Minister, I had planned a tube under Galle Face for the port access elevated road. We, in Opposition, support such plans.

¶ 07 On Port City: when we launched it with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Chinese President, you said we would have to cut Sigiriya Rock to fill it. Today Port City stands and Sigiriya still stands. Now you say you will bring USD 1.2 billion investment to Port City—we will support good initiatives.

¶ 08 On Provincial Council elections: from the President’s speech I gathered there will be no PC polls. In 2017 under Yahapalanaya, PCs were delayed; JVP also supported. Today, again, rather than talk, show allocations with numbers if you truly intend to hold them.

¶ 09 We acknowledge the work of past leaders—D.S., Dudley, Sir John, R. Premadasa, J.R.—and especially President Mahinda Rajapaksa who ended the war, built expressways, ports and power plants. If this Budget truly moves well, we will support it. But act prudently; otherwise even we will have to part ways.

¶ 10 Thank you.