The Hon. Rohana Bandara

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today at the Committee Stage we debate the Heads of the Ministries of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, and of Environment. I address Parliament after about a week’s gap. A Government MP earlier accused the Opposition of being absent on a day dealing with religion and culture, implying our lack of devotion.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, for the first time in Sri Lankan history, a Provincial Council election has been called in the midst of the Budget debate. Every MP, often a seat organizer, must prepare local candidate lists. The Deputy Minister said he expected qualitative critiques—but how can that happen when you suddenly call elections—long delayed for over a year—right in the middle of the Budget debate to arrest your fast-falling popularity? Then you complain MPs are absent. If you seek qualitative, practical, and acceptable arguments—as per your own words—act accordingly. Also check your own side’s attendance before lecturing the Opposition.

¶ 03 On religious affairs: the current Government rose to power downplaying religious affairs. Previous governments, however, operated with primacy given to Buddhism and all other faiths, protecting all religions and enabling each to practice by its own norms. Rather than clinging to old dogmas, proceed with genuine religious harmony.

¶ 04 At popular temples, resources flow; but at rural temples, burdens fall on poor dayaka sabhas. Every monk and lay devotee wishes to make their temple complete, yet construction is perpetual because resources are scarce. While some places are affluent, many temples remain impoverished—even basic needs of some monks are unmet. Please pay attention to these rural temples. Establish clear, supervised plans for temple development with phased designs, so temples do not remain perpetually incomplete.

¶ 05 For other religions too, ensure their followers can carry out observances with dignity. Regarding a proposed “Sri Lankan Day”: in my view, apart from Independence Day, no separate “Sri Lankan Day” is necessary. February 4th unites all communities in celebrating our freedom. Rather than staging spectacles to say “we did something,” strengthen Independence Day as a unifying, meaningful national observance. Do not deflect focus with trivial theatrics like boasting of arriving in a cab instead of a Range Rover to conceal the truth—people know the realities.

¶ 06 On environment: crucial decisions must be made responsibly. Grave allegations target officials handling mineral resources. The President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who as Opposition Leader once spoke for 19 minutes criticizing a particular official, has now appointed him to lead; and other appointments follow. While claiming Ministers do not interfere, how are these posts filled? When such tainted officials are protected, vast state revenues are lost through misappropriation and royalties diverted. Do not claim savings by skipping legitimate state expenses while enabling corruption behind the scenes.

¶ 07 On solid waste and plastics: a bill we brought required producers to take back at least 20% of plastic output. It has been around five months since you took office—have you implemented it? Plastic recycling remains poor, imposing a heavy environmental burden. Viral global posts, like Leonardo DiCaprio’s, showed elephants eating polythene in Sri Lanka—a national disgrace. Implement the law swiftly and make producers responsible.

¶ 08 On imported waste: in the past, even hospital waste arrived in containers. Recently, you released hundreds of containers—what was inside? Where did they end up—our rivers, seas? Act responsibly to protect our ecosystems. Owing to construction elsewhere, even endemic fish face breeding collapse; powerful local politicians are implicated. We need action, not talk.

¶ 09 As population and consumption rise, unmanaged waste will cause disaster—landfills collapsing and disease outbreaks. Prioritize waste management, including recycling, and upon conclusion of local elections, empower local authorities to address it swiftly.

¶ 10 On wildlife: recent tragic news—“Unicorn,” a tusker, has died after a gun attack; earlier, the tusker “Sumedha” went missing for days. If finding a tusker is so hard after it flees with tusks removed, imagine counting monkeys, peacocks, and sambur. Elephants draw tourists; we must safeguard them and also protect people from harm.

¶ 11 Instead of practical solutions like India’s rail elephant early-warning using cameras and GPS to alert trains, we delayed trains by an hour to “save elephants,” disrupting commuters’ livelihoods without real effect. Adopt technology and practical solutions; do not just talk.

¶ 12 When the Government took office, it herded elephants in Anuradhapura toward Wilpattu’s border with police and army, then released them near Elayapaththuwa and Oyamaduwa, after which they raided fields daily. That is not a solution.

¶ 13 On land and wildlife boundaries: powerful interests secure large tracts for projects, while villagers with hereditary chena plots find their fields declared forest after a single fallow season. Boundary stones appear overnight, and reclaiming their land becomes impossible, while the powerful acquire hundreds of acres. This fuels human-elephant conflict; when people tend fields and guard in evenings, elephants avoid villages.

¶ 14 On the “100,000 jobs” program: many youth were enrolled and later some were regularized under President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Government. A portion were posted to the Department of Wildlife Conservation, working on elephant fence duties for years. Court relief has been given, yet they remain unconfirmed. Now that they have long served the State, regularize them, respecting their dignity and professional standing, notwithstanding variations in age or qualifications.

¶ 15 On agriculture: when you took office, we faced rice, coconut, and chilli issues. You promised a Government buffer stock to end such crises and prevent private manipulation. How much paddy did you actually procure—how many metric tons—to influence the market and pay farmers a fair price? Absent real procurement, consumers will face higher prices next season and you will resort again to imports, draining foreign exchange while bragging about tax revenues from import levies. Practical solutions remain lacking.

¶ 16 Your time blaming previous governments is ending. By April, people will not allow you to continue that refrain. Even your social media supporters are turning critical. Focus on solutions.

¶ 17 On the Easter attacks: Christians supported you, believing justice would be done. Since day one, you promised to expose the mastermind. You have not. If you cannot find even the current IGP, how will you find the mastermind? There are reports that some wanted persons are sheltered at a former Minister’s residence close to your leadership—yet you search others’ homes instead. If you have confidence, search there with the media present.

¶ 18 On passports: promises of ending queues have not materialized—two months on the waiting list to get one-day service; passport paper quality is poor. So much for reform.