The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, let me clarify what some Members appear to have missed at Committee Stage. Our policy statement “A Prosperous Country, a Beautiful Life” was not written out of fear of the Opposition or the people. It is the product of months of study and decades of reflection. Abolishing the Executive Presidency and bringing a new Constitution are promises made to the people, and we will not break them. Some in the Opposition are agitated because their promises never went beyond the stage.

¶ 02 We will fulfill our pledges according to the mandate we received, not per anyone else’s timetable. In five years we will do what we pledged for five years, not five months. Our priorities were clear: first, stabilize the economy. Despite IMF conditions, we presented the first Budget with many reliefs and increased tangible benefits. We have curtailed waste and corruption in institutions and departments; you no longer hear of MPs taking commissions or Ministers squandering public funds. The President, the Prime Minister and all of us have slashed state expenditure.

¶ 03 Second, the people demanded that fraudsters and the corrupt be brought before justice. That process has begun and is underway. Where else has an IGP gone into hiding? Under another government, he would have returned home in two weeks. Under our Government, he sought a writ in the Court of Appeal to prevent arrest—because he knows there is no impunity and the law applies equally. Steps to take him into custody are being pursued by the Ministry represented by Deputy Minister Watagala. We are proceeding on a timeline aligned to public expectations.

¶ 04 Next, the Local Government elections must be held; dates are being set. After that, Provincial Council elections should be held, as those bodies are dysfunctional. This shows not that we are failing to meet promises but that we follow a plan and timeline. The Constitution, too, will be brought in that sequence.

¶ 05 Our popularity is not waning; that is an ailment of other parties, not the NPP. It is growing because we do not trample the people. At the end of five years, the people will again entrust us with power. We will not give the Opposition the joy of saying we failed our promises.

¶ 06 We will not meander or restart from zero. The President, Hon. Anura Dissanayake, and Minister Bimal Rathnayake have previously engaged in the constitutional drafting process. We will resume from where it paused and move swiftly, per our timetable. That is not a breach of promise.

¶ 07 In closing: the drum determines the beat, not the dancer. We will fulfill our pledges on our schedule. The Opposition may bring proposals; that is fine. Victory to all.