The Hon. Hector Appuhamy

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity. I must also thank the people of my district for electing me with the highest preferential votes and for a third term. I speak on the Vote on Account and from time to time on the President’s policy statement.

¶ 02 I must note: often fingers are pointed at past governments. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) is not ready to own the deeds of past governments; do not point fingers at us for that. Only a few from those regimes remain here. Time is short, so I will be brief.

¶ 03 Your policy statement spoke about fishers’ relief. You claimed relief was given and that tied-up boats are back at sea. Remember, many small-scale poor fishers have not yet received that assistance; only a few with big boats have. Most are small-boat fishers. You speak of the poor and low-income earners — speak to the current problem. After declaring relief to fishers, you raised kerosene by Rs. 5 a liter. Is that Rs. 5 hike now the “relief”? Without delivering assistance, you effectively forced small fishers to haul their boats back ashore, not launch them. Why? Because you raised kerosene by Rs. 5. Do not let words outpace deeds; deliver what you promise. Correct this mistake.

¶ 04 Next, about recent disasters. In my district, Kalpitiya — which supplies much of the vegetables to Colombo, Dambulla and elsewhere — suffered total crop losses not just this time but over several years. Yet not a cent was paid as compensation; there was not even an assessment, because your eligibility lists do not include Kalpitiya. This affects the economy significantly, impacting incomes and all inputs such as fertilizer, and ultimately consumers.

¶ 05 Before elections you asked to “cry” (campaign), but now you have given the people a Christmas to cry over. Can people cook milk rice this Christmas? Can they buy even cheap rice? How much is a kilo of rice? How much is a coconut? For the New Year, can they make kevum? You have made people cry. You say you know everything, so why pay Rs. 3,200 million to advisors on debt restructuring? If you know, dismiss them and give that money to fishers, farmers, and consumers — to those innocent people who voted for you — so they can eat and live. Empty talk is useless when people cannot eat and clothe themselves.

¶ 06 Yesterday you made a shameful move: cut petrol by Rs. 2 while increasing kerosene by Rs. 5. If you cannot reduce by Rs. 2, at least add Rs. 2 more in relief to the poor. Also, when remittance dollars bring fewer rupees now than before, consumer prices should fall — but they have not; they have risen. How are people to buy goods? You often said you would provide facilities — so create such programs. With Christmas and New Year ahead, ensure people can eat, drink, clothe, and be happy. You formed a new government with 159 MPs and people’s expectations have changed. Create the necessary programs to meet those expectations. We are ready to extend support for everything good. Thank you.