The Hon. Hector Appuhamy

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. At a time when the entire country has faced danger, I welcome allocating Rs. 500 billion as a supplementary fund for the people and express my gratitude.

¶ 02 In our district, all five electorates were affected by the floods. Hon. Deputy Minister, the main issue is what you did not address. We know this has gravely impacted civil life and the economy. When the economy is hit, several points must be remembered. In our areas, many industrialists, producers, and exporters suffered asset losses worth Rs. 90 million, 100 million, 150 million, 200 million and more. Restoring these swiftly is not easy. It is not only the industrialist who collapses; many dependents behind him also fall. When he collapses, their livelihoods stop. The effects will be felt in three to four months. They have bank loans and leasing. The Government must establish a structured plan for this problem. Not only immediate assistance now, but also focus on those issues.

¶ 03 In our area, the coconut, coir, prawn, and especially salt industries were affected across all five electorates of Puttalam. Many are in the export sector. There are numerous value-added products in coconut, coir, and salt. When these export-oriented groups collapse, problems arise working with their overseas partners.

¶ 04 Especially in Kalpitiya, as the Hon. Namal Karunaratne said about providing facilities for paddy cultivation, the horticulture areas in Kalpitiya are completely under water. It will take at least three months for the water to recede. Then what happens? During Christmas and New Year, the labourers in those cultivation areas will lack work. Some of their houses may not be inundated, but a worse issue arises: with villages surrounded by water and no work, they cannot earn even Rs. 25,000 or Rs. 50,000. If one’s home is marooned and work is impossible, they face severe hardships. I believe the Government will create a structured plan; otherwise, society will collapse.

¶ 05 Another matter: during this disaster, Sri Lankans abroad helped immensely, sending goods and money. I must highlight this: from Alberta, Canada, 5,876 kg of goods were sent, spending USD 26,442 on freight. Those goods are still in warehouses and not distributed. They often collected these in sub-zero temperatures and named specific beneficiaries, wanting to see fair distribution. We request a special programme to manage and audit all such international donations, and specifically to distribute the Alberta consignment. Grama Niladharis and state officials have raised numerous issues about irregularities during distribution. We are not pointing fingers, but ask you to investigate properly and establish a planned distribution mechanism in the public interest.

¶ 06 Finally, I wish to extend special thanks and congratulations to Chamika Heenatigala, son of our parliamentary staff member Chaminda Heenatigala, who hit the final six to take Sri Lanka to the U19 Cricket World Cup semi-final yesterday. We wish him well and thank him for bringing glory to our country. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for the time.