The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe – Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity during the debate on the Votes of the President, the Prime Minister and several other institutions.

¶ 02 First, Opposition MPs are making incorrect assertions. We received a mandate and we are working accordingly. You will see at the forthcoming Provincial Council elections whether the people remain with us. You went to watch “Andarela” and now speak about “Sinhabahu” while sitting in another theatre.

¶ 03 Hon. Kavirathna is not here, but I must correct: she said the President’s Fund process was decentralized to Divisional Secretariats and applications piled up. Not so. On average, about 200 applications arrive per month. Since decentralization on 7 February to DS level, over 110 applications have been received at DS offices and 142 at the Fund HQ – 252 applications within 20 days, more than a normal month. Previously politicians distributed these; now, we go to the people. With decentralization, access has improved in just 20 days. Give us time.

¶ 04 We also debate the Votes of several key institutions under the Special Spending Unit. The National Procurement Commission, CIABOC, Audit Service Commission and National Audit Office are crucial to our State’s functioning. On appointments and positions under the President’s Head – I will address that later – but first procurement. The Procurement Guidelines must be immediately updated to fit present operations. Development delays often arise in procurement. We are working to make the process stronger and more transparent, integrating technology so bidders can track their tenders online.

¶ 05 On audits, the core parliamentary committees are COPA and COPE. Audit reports come, we examine, but what then? I recall the massive VAT fraud probe where IRD computers were stolen; COPA under Hon. Rauff Hakeem concluded the inquiry, but years later, many culprits are free. Audits should not only be financial but performance audits. Many reports are 2–3 years old – effectively post-mortems. We must improve performance auditing and the audit institutions’ performance as well.

¶ 06 Order was called; The Hon. Speaker took the Chair.

¶ 07 Hon. Speaker, resuming: globally, roughly 20% of audits are financial and 80% performance; we are far behind on performance audits. We will strengthen the Audit Office and Commission so audit findings are presented in language the public understands, and improve outcomes.

¶ 08 On CIABOC: the Opposition benches are thin today, but this must be said. In the past, when a certain Minister was summoned for inquiry, he shouted at his ministry, and the next day the CIABOC Commissioner was transferred to Trincomalee Courts – political interference. Mahinda Rajapaksa was President then. We will strengthen CIABOC with officers, space, land, and buildings. In 2021, only 69 cases were concluded; in 2022, 89. Of those, 58% and 49% respectively were withdrawn. Of 85 withdrawals by 30.12.2022, 20 were refiled; 11 convictions secured; 18 acquittals. Our Corruption Perceptions rank among 180 countries is 115 – we had fallen. We will fix this, relitigate where needed, and give CIABOC resources and staffing to restore public confidence.

¶ 09 Some said we appoint defeated candidates as Secretaries and to posts. Are these appointees unfit? We did not appoint relatives and children as political patronage. In previous governments, children of some were placed in embassies; we are bringing them back through the Foreign Ministry. Do not equate past regimes with this Government; we have provided many examples of a different standard. Our President, PM’s Office, and Ministers will continue on this path.