The Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, for one month and four days we have debated the 2025 Budget—government and Opposition Members contributing. People expect certain things from a Budget, especially this one after 2024, a turning point that transformed politics with Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayake elected President with high public support and 159 of your Members sent to Parliament. People expected change—what you promised on stage before the election.

¶ 02 First, they expected fuel prices to be reduced by Rs. 160 per litre as promised—important to fishermen, transport operators, everyone. That has not happened. Next, they expected electricity bills to be reduced by one-third. If a bill was Rs. 15,000, down to Rs. 10,000—it would ease hardship. That is why they voted: to lower fuel and electricity. What happened?

¶ 03 People also hoped to buy vehicles at affordable prices. Yet after imports opened, what happened? An Alto is now Rs. 7.1 million. There is a problem in the tax structure: vehicle duties were classified such that taxes hit small people’s vehicles while big-brand new imports became cheaper—V8s, BMWs, Prados, Mercedes. Is there a deal with companies? The Finance Ministry should explain. Now they even suggest requiring company certificates to register vehicles; if so, then companies should not sell selectively. I will not name companies, but this is the reality.

¶ 04 Essential goods: VAT is 18 percent. People expected VAT relief, especially if staples like rice, flour, lentils, Maldive fish, dried fish, canned fish, yams were exempt, prices would drop. Sathosa prices may be lower, but most people buy from regular shops, where prices bite.

¶ 05 There were promises to give youth business loans without collateral. It is written; if implemented, good. But how do you give bank loans without collateral? It must be shown in practice.

¶ 06 Why did the aragalaya happen? Dollars ran out; no reserves; no fuel, fertilizer or medicines; people died on roads. You promised to boost reserves with diaspora remittances—some even boasted friends would send US$ 500 each. Neither the band nor the dollars have appeared. I recall your platform words, not with anger but to stress that people expected these in this Budget.

¶ 07 Instead, in this month we spent time counting horoscopes—auspicious times and kochchi leaves for the New Year. Then came the Batalanda Commission report: yes, punish those who killed our youth, even after years, legally. But beware of backfires—already happening. Then, the “mystery guest” at New Year, a teacher assaulting a child—this is what we got instead of what we sought. Next, lists of those who took money from the President’s Fund for medicines—fine, name them all, even if it is Rohitha Abeygunawardhana.

¶ 08 Another issue: you talk of evicting former President Mahinda Rajapaksa from his official residence—the leader who ended the 30-year war. However one critiques, he ended it. These are the things we got, not what the people expected.

¶ 09 On revenue: About 60 percent comes from the Excise Department, Sri Lanka Customs, and Inland Revenue. Only if targets—say Rs. 200 billion—are met can you fund expenditure. No administration has fully met these targets. I challenge officials to prove otherwise. On liquor licensing and bars: previously, villages had one bar; now one person holds 150–170 bars—companies dominate. Why? People mainly drink coconut arrack and gal arrack. Traditional production used toddy and spirit, with fewer harms. Now they ferment with yeast and sugar—raising issues. The government levies Rs. 2,780 excise on a bottle of gal arrack. If a wine store sells 50,000 bottles a month, only about 10,000 are original; roughly 40,000 are fake. The excise from those 40,000 does not reach the Treasury and people get poisoned. Thus, we lose revenue and harm health.

¶ 10 Finally, the next challenge is local government elections—for both you and us. Salaries are increasing; perhaps public servants will vote for you. But the people are like Nuwara Eliya’s weather—unpredictable. If your vote share dips, you may fall off the bed and break your back; we are on the raft—if we fall, only the cold is felt. As Opposition, I am not opposed to this Budget. I ask you to take our proposals forward and govern well.

¶ 11 Thank you for the time.