The Hon. Sunil Handunnetti – Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, please allow me 25 minutes; do not let unnecessary interruptions eat into our valuable time. Thank you.

¶ 02 As someone who for years spoke from the Opposition on Votes on Account and Budgets, I am happy to join this debate now from the Government benches.

¶ 03 Given questions raised about precedent, let me place the history: Sri Lanka’s first Vote on Account was on 22.09.1931 for Rs. 13.6 million. Since then, 14 Votes on Account have been presented; 10 were due to presidential/general elections preventing timely presentation of the Budget—in 1982 (Presidential and Referendum), 1988 (Presidential), 1994 (Parliamentary on 16 Aug and Presidential on 9 Nov), 1999 (Presidential on 12 Dec), 2000 (elections), 2002 (5 Feb, post‑election timing), 2009 (3 Nov), for 2019 (due to 2018 events), and for 2020 (post 16 Nov 2019 Presidential and 2020 pandemic delays). Each time, a legal question arose whether a VoA covers Parliament’s powers under Articles 148 and 152; even I raised it. When then‑Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama presented a VoA, your side’s Joseph Michael Perera, a former Speaker, raised the point; the Speaker accepted the Minister’s explanation and ruled it admissible given necessity. Now, Act No. 44 of 2024 sets a formal framework for VoAs. We accept it: the necessity is to keep the State functioning.

¶ 04 Hon. Kabir Hashim spoke of “making the country ungovernable.” Today the public anger is not with us; it is with those who would block salaries and essential services by opposing a VoA when a full Budget is impossible. The President assumed office and our Government commenced on 23 November. Those with Finance experience know the National Budget Department needs at least 72 days to prepare an Appropriation. Starting 23 November, the earliest Budget would be February. Funds under the previous Appropriation lapse on 31 December. How do we function after that—pay public servants, maintain security forces, keep services running? The VoA exists precisely to prevent anarchy.

¶ 05 On the Rs. 3,000 billion for debt service that Hon. Kabir cited: this is not solely from the VoA—it was provided in the 2024 Budget approved by this House. Our hope is to conclude agreements by 31 December so these allocations may not be needed under the VoA. If agreements conclude before then, the Rs. 3,000 billion in the VoA is unnecessary; if not, and payments fall due in January–April before the new Budget, we must provide for that contingency. You know this.

¶ 06 As for who incurred the ISB debts: from 2021 onwards, your side increased ISBs the most at high interest—USD 17 billion outstanding—creating today’s interest burden borne by taxpayers. That is a separate debate. A VoA does not mean all sums will be spent; it provides ceilings to manage risk until the full Appropriation is passed.

¶ 07 [Debate continues.]