The Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, regulating microfinance lending is good—if done sincerely. In 2021 alone, over 200 people reportedly took their lives due to borrowing outside the banking system—six of them from Polonnaruwa, the village of our Hon. Speaker. While in Opposition, you went to Polonnaruwa, signed agreements with victims, and promised help. Ensure fair relief without conflating microfinance with pyramid schemes or digital currencies—create proper mechanisms.

¶ 02 Another matter today: Reports say an Iranian vessel was attacked in Sri Lanka’s international waters, apparently within our Exclusive Economic Zone. Our Navy rescued the injured and admitted them to Galle Hospital. One person is missing. How did this happen within our EEZ—where we are responsible for maritime security? Was the ship returning from exercises off Visakhapatnam to the Arabian Sea, or did it enter our waters from elsewhere? The Government must inform the country and act with intelligence agencies. Under Yahapalana, intelligence units were dismantled; today, instead of strengthening them, you are detaining officers to serve political agendas related to the Easter attacks.

¶ 03 The Middle East is at war—Israel/US versus Iran. You have secretly signed agreements; is this incident a consequence? The Deputy Defence Minister is here—clarify. Study current Middle East dynamics. Iran targets US bases; affected are host states. Be mindful when signing secret deals.

¶ 04 The President’s lengthy exposition yesterday will bear fruit only with action. Since 2009, many Governments, including ours, paid insufficient attention to shifting geopolitics; hence recurring crises. Your Government must now study impacts on Sri Lanka and prepare. Consider potential short-, medium-, and long-term economic effects: remittances, tourism (many flights traverse Gulf airspace), exports to the Gulf, and alternative markets and routes. Parliament must be informed of your plans. This is not about petrol or gas queues for a week; major nations are bracing for cascading disruptions. What is our preparedness? Remove partisan lenses and act on a durable plan.

¶ 05 You celebrate “great heroes” per your political narrative, but the one who ended the war was the soldier. Had LTTE terrorism persisted with today’s technology, drones—not small planes—would have struck Colombo. Yet you jail intelligence officers and those who renounced terrorism to join democracy, while you extol mythical heroes and belittle real veterans and clergy with your rhetoric.

¶ 06 Do not reduce this motherland to a “pawnshop” in your mindset. Leaders of even the smallest nations do not call their country a pawnshop; leaders must have pride in nation, people, and faith, to take long-term decisions for future generations. Resolve politics if you wish, but address the Gulf crisis decisively.

¶ 07 [Time warned]

¶ 08 Grant me one minute, Hon. Presiding Member.

¶ 09 There is war and widespread damage to civilians, economic centres, airports, and routes. This can affect us across horizons. Please put aside the “pawnshop mindset” and act with a sustainable plan. Thank you.