The Hon. Imran Maharoof

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member. The Hon. Minister outlined many points on education and the future of our students. While much has been said about dropouts, a key question remains: will the Rs. 6,000 grant stop dropouts? Across the country, students face multiple challenges; dropout is a serious issue requiring the Minister’s special attention.

¶ 02 Listening today, one wonders who is Government and who is Opposition. Government Members proudly say they came to power with a people’s mandate — but they must understand people’s expectations. We must not forget that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government, too, came with a 6.9 million mandate and then collapsed for failing expectations.

¶ 03 You speak of free education and school meals. Who introduced them? There are good and bad policies; we must recognize both. During the economic crisis, Ranil Wickremesinghe assumed the Presidency. Then, you called for immediate change. Now you have 159 MPs — yet you say you still need time, years, even ages to deliver change. Will the people accept that?

¶ 04 Many Muslim MPs have repeatedly asked for details on the COVID-19 Janaza cremations. You promised during elections to reveal such information, as you did on bar licences. Why cannot you similarly reveal the cremation details?

¶ 05 Those who say “we will build a country without racism” must act consistently. Please table, without delay, the details related to the forced cremations. We accept you may need time for certain matters, but you were the ones who demanded immediate change; accordingly, public expectations are high. Handle this “system change” responsibly.

¶ 06 Finally, do not pour salt on wounds. Ministry actions today often feel like that to the Muslim community. Focus on serving the people and place the country on a good path. Thank you.