The Hon. Mujibur Rahuman

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to speak in the debate on the Heads of Expenditure of the Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of Urban Development, Construction and Housing.

¶ 02 Reviewing the 2025 progress of the Ministry of Urban Development, Construction and Housing, it has achieved a very low progress—about 12%. In any government, this Ministry typically records over 90% progress annually. But for 2025, it is around 12%.

¶ 03 In the last Budget, many new proposals were announced. None has been implemented. For example, the President allocated Rs. 750 million through the UDA for solid waste management in Anuradhapura; even that project could not be commenced.

¶ 04 Under the previous government, we obtained around USD 4,000 million in foreign loans to build housing for low-income earners. Consider two such projects started then: 700 housing units at Maligawatta, Colombo, and 700 units on Ferguson Road, Mattakkuliya, Colombo. Both are proceeding sluggishly. About USD 200 million remains unused, indicating slow or no progress over a long period.

¶ 05 The UDA has a National Physical Plan. It appears to have been abandoned; implementation is not evident. Piecemeal attempts are made here and there, but the national plan seems suspended.

¶ 06 We saw that Rs. 450 million has been allocated to upgrade the main bus terminal at Olcott Mawatha, Pettah. There is a plan for a multi-modal transport hub, linking Olcott Mawatha and the old Manning Market. However, feasibility studies have not been properly carried out. Merely upgrading the old bus stand with Rs. 450 million will not solve Pettah’s problems. There are three major terminals—at Bastian Mawatha, Gunasinghepura, and Olcott Mawatha. The concept required bringing all three into a single hub. It now appears that project has stalled, while repairs to old facilities are attempted, at great cost. With Rs. 400 million more, all three could have been integrated at Manning Market, easing traffic congestion and helping passengers. The abandonment of the UDA’s national plan and piecemeal work will not resolve transport and development challenges in Colombo.

¶ 07 I have repeatedly raised issues about National Housing Development Authority lands. Between 2020 and 2024, many were irregularly alienated to racketeers. Your government has been in office for a year. I raised this several times with the then subject Minister. For instance, in Maligawatta housing complexes, vehicle parking lots meant for residents were irregularly converted to warehouses in this high-density area. I complained multiple times, even sharing videos, but no action was taken. I urge the current Housing Minister to intervene immediately and regularize these areas for residents’ use.

¶ 08 For 2025, Rs. 324 billion was allocated to the Road Development Authority. About 40% of that allocation has been expended. Around 200 former RDA engineers have left the country, causing a shortage. No engineers have been recruited for four years. There are also issues regarding allowances and benefits. Engineers have repeatedly sought meetings with the Hon. Minister but have not received one. They are prepared for trade union action on the 27th. I urge the Minister to meet them urgently and resolve issues on allowances and other matters before any strike.

¶ 09 The Japan Friendship Road near Parliament—only 1.5 km of resurfacing—has taken more than a month and is still incomplete. I ask the Minister to look into this delay.

¶ 10 We raised several current governance issues. One is the failure to appoint an Auditor-General. The President proposed a name to the Constitutional Council; it was rejected. The Senior Deputy Auditor-General was appointed Acting AG for six months. When extension was sought again, the Constitutional Council rejected it, saying two extensions had already been given. Why is the President repeatedly keeping him as Acting AG? He has served over 30 years in the Audit Service and knows all sectors. Why not confirm him? Your manifesto “A Prosperous Country – A Beautiful Life” (page 198) promises promotions for competent seniors in the public service. Why not confirm him then? Is the President trying to bring in a batchmate from Kelaniya University? Previously, a private-sector person with no Audit Service background was proposed as AG and rejected by the Council. You criticized when Cabraal became Central Bank Governor; now you repeat similar practices. If you cannot find a suitable AG, perhaps appoint the COPE Chairman, since you appointed a former Deputy Minister as Secretary to the Treasury—a practice you yourselves condemned before. The Acting AG deserves confirmation; otherwise it looks like an attempt to appoint someone of choice.

¶ 11 You also responded about the “Aruna” newspaper. That report said a Police Clearance Certificate from the Public Security Committee was required with the Character Certificate issued by Grama Niladharis. The Public Security Minister denied it here. But in my area, some police stations asked for such a certificate. I privately provided the station’s name to the Minister. If such a requirement does not exist, then resolve the issue; why summon the journalist to the CID? All media organizations oppose summoning him to the CID for this. If a news item is wrong, the Minister can correct it; once corrected, that should suffice. Taking the author to the CID intimidates the media and undermines press freedom. That is wrong.

¶ 12 On Dr. Shafi, Minister Bimal Rathnayake spoke correctly. I fully agree. The media inflamed the issue. A 2019 CID investigation report submitted to the Kurunegala Magistrate stated that Senior DIG Kithsiri Jayalath instructed the journalist to write about Dr. Shafi. He still remains in position. Another was then SP Mahinda Disanayake of Kurunegala—he was later promoted DIG. Those who orchestrated the media conspiracy were promoted under your government. On 7 November 2024, Dr. Shafi complained to Police Headquarters to redress the injustice. The complaint has not been properly examined, no statement recorded, no investigation completed even after a year. Your government came to power with people’s expectations for transparency and better governance. But what we see now contradicts what was promised.