The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 No, Hon. Deputy Speaker, I have 12 minutes. Unfortunately, Ministers are replying to every question and that time must be cut from Government time, not from ours. Let me start.

¶ 02 It is a privilege to speak after the Hon. K.D. Lal Kantha, the Leader of the JJB in my district, and I congratulate him on his victory. He spoke on two urgent issues in our district: wild animal conflict, and sterilization-related matters. Many animal welfare associations have engaged with us. As a solution, I request the Defence Ministry to reconsider issuing firearms permits to farmers as done earlier for crop protection.

¶ 03 Another urgent matter is the Akurana flooding. I have worked on this historically—both as a former Minister and MP. I request a discussion with you on the history and studies, and at the Coordination Committee meeting scheduled for the 11th of this month, I hope you will attend. The Akurana Engineers’ Association has submitted a useful proposal; I wish to discuss it with you.

¶ 04 I also raise an out-of-topic but timely issue: A delegation of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi met the President and spoke in Parliament that he would resolve the Kalmunai Divisional Secretariat delimitation matter. But the Muslim community there also has concerns. Let us resolve this through proper discussion, taking into account ongoing litigation and the several delimitation committees. A negotiated outcome is needed.

¶ 05 Regarding the Nindavur Mosque, I hear an attempt is being made to appoint an interim trustee board without an election. We must hold an election and then appoint trustees lawfully, in line with prior Election Commission directions.

¶ 06 Now, to the Vote on Account. I draw attention to the substantial outflows tied to Sri Lanka’s recent debt restructuring. While agreements with bondholders and commercial creditors were necessary, the timing—just two days before the Presidential Election—raises concerns. This evokes the infamous USD 500 million bond repayment saga executed amidst an empty Treasury under a former Central Bank Governor. The current restructuring risks the spectre of insider trading: those with privileged information buying bonds at deep discounts in the secondary market and then negotiating at face value, possibly in collusion. This must be investigated.

¶ 07 In the Vote on Account, over Rs. 4 trillion is earmarked for the Treasury Operations Department, including amounts for international sovereign bond restructuring. Serious doubts have arisen about whether privileged information was passed to selected investors. I was ashamed we were in Cabinet when in 2015, Rs. 1 billion in bonds to be auctioned became Rs. 10 billion, and the whole Government was blamed. Cases are pending and a former Governor is absconding. These are people’s money; we must investigate.

¶ 08 Similarly, Domestic Debt Optimization (DDO) harmed EPF members. The current President himself acknowledged concerns in this House; this too needs inquiry. A few primary dealers made massive profits. Listed dealers’ mid-year accounts show very high profits in Q2 compared with Q1; others likely gained windfalls as well. DDO seems to have benefited a few at the expense of working people.

¶ 09 I will table Questions to the Finance Minister to obtain proper replies and expose any conspiratorial actions for which the former President and his associates must answer.

¶ 10 Thank you.