The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe - Deputy Minister of Labour

¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, due to Cyclone “Ditva,” 643 people have died and 183 are missing. We extend condolences, including to those who died while rescuing others.

¶ 02 Listening to the Opposition over these two days reminded me of Sunil Shantha’s song, “Turn disaster into comfort and march forward, Lanka.” Throughout history there have been disasters. Previously the Opposition turned every disaster to their advantage. Today, since they cannot, they are angry while the nation strives to rise together. At one point, Hon. Kabir Hashim claimed over 1,000 died in Gampola; others repeated “near 1,000” or “more than 1,000.” As of 6.00 a.m. today, 643 deaths and 183 missing. Are you happy the number is lower or want it higher? This Opposition is destructive; it is the country’s real disaster.

¶ 03 I hoped the Opposition would change its role after this tragedy—offer constructive criticism, highlight our shortcomings, and help. Instead, they try to pursue narrow politics. The people want to know our forward plan, not our rebuttals.

¶ 04 Regarding the Rs. 25,000 grant, by yesterday 89.45% of the 79,134 affected families in Gampaha—70,786—had received it; some DS divisions are at 90–99%. We moved families home quickly. Further payments require assessments; that process is underway. About 29,000 enterprises were affected; around 10,000 have already been assessed by specialists.

¶ 05 Compare past relief with today’s: earlier, only Rs. 10,000 was given to clean a house; today, Rs. 25,000. For vegetable crops, earlier nothing; today, Rs. 200,000 per hectare. For rebuilding a destroyed house, earlier maximum Rs. 2.5 million? No—earlier it was far less; today up to Rs. 5 million. For registered livestock farms, earlier nothing; today Rs. 200,000 each. For high-risk lands, earlier Rs. 400,000; today Rs. 5 million. For destroyed business buildings, earlier nothing; today Rs. 5 million. For paddy, earlier nothing; today Rs. 150,000 per hectare. For registered fishing boats, earlier nothing; today Rs. 400,000. For school equipment, earlier nothing; today Rs. 25,000. For displaced needing rental housing, earlier Rs. 10,000; today Rs. 25,000. For loss of livelihood, earlier nothing; today Rs. 50,000 per month for three months. The Opposition’s agitation is baseless.

¶ 06 Our 13 Divisional Secretaries in the district worked tirelessly, some falling ill from overwork. From Grama Niladharis upward, the public service, tri-forces, Police, and many volunteers served admirably. The Opposition attempts to sow discord between us and public servants. We will instead support the honest officers; only the corrupt will face consequences. We are steering the public service, tri-forces, Police, and Civil Security properly, managing the disaster in the short term, and planning temporary then permanent reconstruction over the coming months.

¶ 07 To all communities—Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, Malay—we say: do not dance to the tune of the destructive Opposition. A small fraction on social media still does so, but the majority do not. Some Opposition speeches had good proposals and fair criticism, which we accept; others were mere mud-slinging—even making a media show out of two cannabis plants. Sometimes I wonder if the whole set is high. Regardless, we will unite with the people here and abroad, friendly nations, and the public service to rebuild and rise as a nation. Thank you.