The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Mr. Chairman, first, about something that happened yesterday. In a speech, our Hon. Harshana Suriyapperuma said my name was among those who took money from Perpetual Treasuries. I tell him: please do not repeat the lies you told before coming to power. Take the answers I gave to the COPE questionnaire and, if there is any issue, file a case against me. I clearly stated I did not take any money and provided written answers.

¶ 02 I did not expect you to fall into that situation, but you did; that is the problem. Also, regarding the COPE footnote, I was not involved; Hon. Sunil Handunnetti was here then and knows. Regarding Perpetual Treasuries’ wrongdoing, we did what was necessary to hold them accountable; we did not protect them. From COPE, we clearly exposed the wrongdoing. I questioned the then Central Bank Governor when he appeared as Deputy Governor; from the questions I put, we found Arjuna Mahendran’s interference. Therefore, I regret that you have fallen into making such accusations. There is now a big problem here—coming daily to Parliament and lying. At this rate, we may have to remove the precept “abstain from false speech” from our code within the House. It has become a crisis.

¶ 03 Today thousands of youth are gathered in Polduwa. Owing to your lie that 35,000 jobs would be provided, they are protesting. The Prime Minister said that 10,000 have already been recruited. I checked with Public Administration and the Finance Ministry; not a single graduate has been recruited to date, though you have found about 15,000 vacancies. Recruitment has not started. If the Prime Minister too makes false statements, it is a serious matter. While you were in the stock market, you spoke of insider dealings and thefts. I am not here to sling mud, but to note the facts.

¶ 04 Since the Labour Minister and Deputy Finance Minister are present, I wish to raise the status of the Colombo Stock Exchange. Our PE ratio is 9.28. In Indonesia it is 23.88; India 21.38; Japan 20.88; Thailand 17.48; Malaysia 14.38; Singapore 12.68; the Philippines 11.18; Sri Lanka 9.28. Commercial Bank and Sampath Bank shares have risen by about 20%. With dividends, total returns approach about 25%. If we want to develop the CSE, bringing about 10% of EPF, ETF, Bank of Ceylon, and Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation to the market could attract other investors. Mangala Samaraweera did this with SLT and LECO; people then opposed it, but SLT’s performance and dividends have grown. Please consider similar listings.

¶ 05 Second, on decentralized funds: you said Rs. 10 million per MP this year, whereas under Gotabaya Rajapaksa it was Rs. 15 million. Under Ranil Wickremesinghe’s period, funds of Rs. 100–400 million were given only to supportive Opposition MPs. Now even the Rs. 10 million is subject to the Development Committee Chair’s approval; Opposition MPs are being denied. After VAT adjustments, the amount actually received is Rs. 8.25 million, of which only 10% can be given as direct grants—i.e., Rs. 825,000 for temples or welfare societies. Direct grants are what are most requested. Government MPs can allocate to big projects, but we cannot. Northern MPs are being promised Rs. 100 million, while others get nothing. Please ensure equitable allocation.

¶ 06 Regarding SriLankan Airlines, in the past USD 500 million in debt was taken on by the Treasury. In this Budget you have set aside Rs. 10,000 million to repay debt and Rs. 10,000 million for interest—Rs. 20,000 million in total. The airline has 24 aircraft; 18 operational. Hon. Harshana Suriyapperuma said three aircraft have been on the ground for months. How many are now flying? Due to parts issues linked to COVID impacts and global NEO engine problems, there has been high demand and groundings worldwide—IndiGo had around 60 grounded; we had six. This is not personal; it is a global issue. Please address it urgently.