The Hon. R.M. Samantha Ranasinghe

¶ 01 Thank you for the opportunity, Hon. Presiding Member.

¶ 02 This is the third day of debating the second Budget of the National People’s Power government, with more days ahead. After the people’s great struggle against the failed socio-economic model of the past 76 years, we came to power proposing our policy statement “A Prosperous Country – A Beautiful Life,” built through years of dialogue across districts. We formed a government in November and presented a first-year Budget aligned to that vision. The first Budget is being discussed widely and is seen as successful in laying the foundation to rebuild a collapsed economy—both domestically and internationally. Now we present the second Budget.

¶ 03 From the Opposition’s criticisms, it appears some are driven by hostility and misinformation rather than study. During elections, they asked who would serve as ministers and manage the state if the NPP won. The people made a historic decision. Within eight months we have laid a foundation to put the country on the right track economically, administratively and diplomatically. The bitterness expressed now stems from that.

¶ 04 A key emphasis in this Budget is advancing state policy through a capable public service. For decades, state service was undermined—most notoriously under the guidance of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who, in 2001, halted recruitment and abolished pensions for new recruits, weakening the service. Again in 2022 he took similar directions; in 2016 the good governance government had ceased the most significant benefit—the pension. We pledged to rebuild the public service. I invite the Opposition to read pages 42–45 of the President’s Budget Speech.

¶ 05 We will restore the pension to those recruited after 2016. We will recruit 75,000 required staff to the public service on merit, free of political interference. We will digitize and streamline the service, now suffocating under massive files, to enhance efficiency. We will establish a Salaries and Pensions Commission to resolve longstanding pay and pension issues.

¶ 06 Beyond numbers on paper, we will mobilize Cabinet, Parliament, District and Divisional Coordinating Committees, and most importantly the 14,022 GN divisions, to turn targets into reality by 31 December 2026. We pledge this to the people.