The Hon. Jagath Manuwarna

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, when people who have made a profession of twisting facts come to Parliament, this is normal. They previously distorted facts as a job on television channels. So, we need not pay much attention if they now toss a few such lines here and there.

¶ 02 However, I thank you for giving me time today to express views on our Government’s Appropriation Bill.

¶ 03 There was also a heated development yesterday, and I thought to say a word about it. Yesterday, at the Aluthkade Courts, there was a very tragic incident. A person accused as a criminal was shot dead inside the court by a gunman in disguise. Today, we also saw in Parliament, for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, the Opposition attempting to portray this as something unprecedented. But this is not the first time in our history. In 2004, as I recall, a notorious underworld figure named Dhammika Amarasinghe was similarly gunned down inside court by a person disguised as a lawyer. He had appeared then to provide information to court regarding a serious financial fraud at Sri Lanka Cricket or some such fraudulent activity. He was shot dead at that moment. What did the killer say? He said it was revenge for the killing of “Beddagana Sanjeewa”, who had been in the security detail of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. So we understand that those criminals and killers had been protected around those politicians. To the Hon. Members in the Opposition who are trying to portray yesterday’s incident as a new development since we assumed office, I say: avatars of that crime wave built by history still haunt this country. We took power to stop those things.

¶ 04 Immediately after the incident yesterday, our Hon. Minister of Justice went to the premises. Within six hours—well before 24 hours—we managed to arrest the gunman. But in the past, after committing murders, crimes, bombings—killing people—those people even formed governments. Many years passed and those criminals are still out of reach. Some evidence has even been made to disappear. Therefore, we say we took office to end that culture of crime.

¶ 05 Along with that, another topic resurfaced: “National security is at risk.” Once again, the old record was played. It is being argued that allocations for national security are insufficient and that national security could be endangered. Some even requested more protection for MPs. We said then and we say now: you cannot ensure public safety or national security only through guns. In this Budget, we have allocated Rs. 404 billion for national security. One can argue it is too little or inadequate. But we invite the Opposition to read the preceding chapter in the 2025 Citizens’ Budget under the chapter “National Security.” The previous chapter is titled “Commitment to a Peaceful and Just Society.” It covers matters such as public safety and registration of persons.

¶ 06 We discussed the digital ID recently. You might have seen yesterday that the shooter had used a lawyer’s identity card with a QR code. But the digital ID we aim to introduce will, in practice, make it impossible to hide one’s identity when entering such secure complexes or when using the ID elsewhere. Therefore, do not assess national security solely by the size of allocations. Beyond that, in the chapter “Commitment to a Peaceful and Just Society,” allocations are also made for the Police and Special Task Force, Law and Order, Judiciary, National Integration, Women and Children, Prisons, Culture, etc.

¶ 07 We have always said that neglecting areas like art and culture leads to the creation of individuals who lack sensitivity toward others, fuelling social insecurity. To build a society that loves others, shows compassion and sensitivity, we must also focus on art and culture. In this Budget, funds are allocated for the renovation of the John de Silva Memorial Theatre. As a dramatist myself, I remember that John de Silva Theatre used to be an affordable venue for our productions. It has now been closed for nearly 20 years and renovations are still incomplete. Theatre, literature, cinema—these nourish people’s hearts and minds. Through them, we can reduce crime. If we think national security can be ensured by arming people and lining the streets with police and military, that is false. We must heal the hearts of our people.

¶ 08 You know what the largest library arson of the 20th century was—biblioclasm. As I recall, it happened in 1981: the burning of the Jaffna Library. It is recorded as one of the gravest library burnings of the 20th century. Why do we allocate Rs. 100 million to rebuild the Jaffna Library? Because we must heal the scars, the ruins, the old wounds and painful memories left to us by history.

¶ 09 Hon. Deputy Speaker, you have two more minutes.

¶ 10 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

¶ 11 We must heal this fractured society. A Budget is not only numbers and money. An Hon. Member said there is a big gap between our policy document “A Prosperous Nation – A Beautiful Life” and this Budget. No. What that policy document says is exactly what this Budget seeks to implement.

¶ 12 We said we would build a just society—one that does not discriminate based on ethnicity, religion, or region, but treats everyone equally.

¶ 13 Is not rebuilding the Jaffna Library important to the North and the South alike? These are the wounds politics has left us. Should we not heal them? That is why I say a Budget is not only prices and figures.

¶ 14 Some learned gentlemen here speak of the breakdown of the law and crimes in court, but like the person who entered court disguised as a lawyer, some have come here to Parliament in disguise as lawyers. We say to them: you too must bear responsibility for the erosion of public faith in the law.

¶ 15 We never said we could build “a prosperous nation and a beautiful life” in a day. This must be done step by step—short, medium and long term. We believe this year’s Budget brings all possible efforts toward that. Therefore, we tell the Opposition: do not panic.

¶ 16 Hon. Jagath Manuwarna, your time is up.

¶ 17 Very well, Hon. Deputy Speaker.