The Hon. Chandana Sooriyaarachchi

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity.

¶ 02 Today we are debating an important Bill. Members of the Opposition who spoke earlier asked what the National People’s Power Government has done within the first year in office. The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) has rendered a great service to the country for many years; yet, past governments failed even to bring the basic legal instruments needed to ensure its duties are performed properly and lawfully. Until now, NBRO functioned without being established by an Act of Parliament. Therefore, our Government is moving a clear law to ensure the institution can perform its service properly. That is very important.

¶ 03 Hon. Presiding Member, a few more points. A Member from Hambantota asked what we have done. If the previous mode of governance had continued, the name of our country could have been changed to “Iceland,” with Tangalle as its capital. Such was the path of destruction. The NPP Government, upon assuming office, has been cleansing and correcting that trajectory, protecting our future generations.

¶ 04 We saw how, following a 48-hour police operation over last weekend in Tangalle and surrounding areas, 705.91 kilograms of heroin and crystal meth (ice) were seized. That shows how the law now functions. We also saw, last Saturday, how many accused assembled near Kimbula Ela seeking to evade justice. Crimes committed while in government, including organized crime and the patronage given to it, now face the operation of the law; yet they try to hide behind the banner of “democracy.” I also noted how a Badulla MP, speaking here, effectively provided material tantamount to evidence by saying that if Ranil Wickremesinghe had been caught in 1988–89, many noisy figures now in government would not be around. Such were the times.

¶ 05 On the CEB: it must be clearly said the UNP–SLPP administration moved to privatize the CEB. In June 2024, with SLPP support, the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration approved the orders to restructure the CEB into 12 companies and privatize 9 of them entirely, keeping only hydropower in a state company while thermal generation (diesel, coal, naphtha) was to be handed to private companies. When that Bill came, Ranjan Jayalal and the trade union movement fought to protect the CEB. During 2–4 January 2024, they took trade union action by reporting sick leave. How did the UNP–SLPP government respond? They interdicted 62 employees. Our Government did not go to court against employees, did not send them home, and did not interdict them when sick leave occurred recently. Those 62 interdicted were reinstated after the NPP Government assumed office.

¶ 06 In 2024, they even obtained court injunctions against 92 union leaders and activists to prevent access to CEB premises. Just before the September 21 presidential election, on September 18, 2024, the Cabinet then decided to remove around 12,000 out of 22,000 CEB employees. Today, under Comrade Anura Dissanayake’s leadership, this Government has halted privatization, protected employee rights, and is proceeding so that all six emergent companies remain 100% state-owned.

¶ 07 On Development Officers (DOs): the Ranil–SLPP government decided that DOs cannot be absorbed directly into the teacher service, that the only route is competitive examination; petitions by 34 DOs to the Supreme Court seeking direct absorption were dismissed. The lawful path is to hold the exam. Yet the Leader of the Opposition now says “no exam.” In 2013, under the Yahapalana administration, even then-Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam did not directly absorb the 16,000 DOs attached to schools; they were taken via exam. Those who failed still serve as school DOs to this day. As a Government we will act fairly so that resolving the nearly 30,000 teacher vacancies gives an appropriate priority to school DOs without injustice.

¶ 08 Under the People’s Empowerment Programme, we are setting clear duties and proper accountability for Economic Development Officers in divisions, ending the old practice of distributing seeds, saplings, buckets, and cups. We are strengthening the state service and safeguarding the CEB while keeping it 100% state.

¶ 09 Thank you for the opportunity.