The Hon. Sanjeewa Ranasingha

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, for granting me this time.

¶ 02 Today we are able to legally establish and ensure fairness regarding the long-anticipated wage increase for the working people. Many speakers presented points during this debate on the Bills to amend the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act, No. 36 of 2005, the National Minimum Wage of Workers Act, No. 3 of 2016, and the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act, No. 4 of 2016.

¶ 03 We, as Government Members, see this wage increase and these amendments as a clear milestone in the deep social, economic, and political transformation aimed at realizing our vision of “a prosperous country — a beautiful life.”

¶ 04 We have seen how private-sector wages stood in 2016 and in 2021, and how we reflected that transformation within the 2025 Budget framework. For the first time in our history, state-sector employees received the greatest correction to salary anomalies — they live among us today with appreciation. But what happened over 76 long years? The demands of public servants and trade unions were ignored; they were shot at, tear-gassed, and harassed. Those who did not intervene to grant rights now stand in Opposition, speaking with great compassion about public servants. They hint that you should fear the Government. The Opposition is engaged in scaring public servants, pressuring them inappropriately, creating uncertainty about their jobs to exploit for political ends. As public- and private-sector workers take steps forward in their lives, the Opposition uses criticism to instill fear. Let us remind them: we inherited a battered country. There are many sides to rebuilding it, and the National People’s Power Government has taken the right approach.

¶ 05 For our economy to advance, people must be content and fulfilled. Therefore, from the very first Budget we took the positive step to eliminate state-sector salary anomalies. Likewise, the private-sector worker had been made a person without responsibility and without an owner. Our Government intervened, engaging with employers and unions, to obtain the maximum positive outcome through these proposals and the private-sector wage increases. Meanwhile, they rejoice over US actions under Donald Trump, hoping our garment factories will close, workers will be laid off, jobs become unstable, and family crises grow into a force against the Government. We tell the Opposition: we will not leave you space for that. We are intervening optimally, using the state machinery and technical-level discussions to create new jobs through diversified links beyond America, and to find markets for our products. Proposals are being advanced.

¶ 06 They also talk about the IMF. We had to go to the IMF because the country was bankrupted and collapsed by rulers who indulged in corruption and privileges, caring only for their own lives and children. We have examined and transformed that political culture. For the first time we have established a grassroots political culture among the people. Before economic and social reforms, the National People’s Power took on the task of that great political transformation. We have created a kind of politician not seen before on this soil. Therefore, we pledge to uproot the regressive, power-hungry, privilege-bound traditional political culture and ensure it will not return — we will do the utmost to prevent it. I conclude.

¶ 07 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, for the time.