The Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law
Hon. Namal Rajapaksa criticized the Government’s proposed restructuring of energy-related entities, arguing that consolidating bodies and placing an “independent” institution under the Ministry of Finance undermines independence. He questioned the absence of provisional approvals for renewable energy projects during the Government’s 10 months in office, asked about the progress of investors and tender winners, and warned that delays in new generation capacity affect tariffs and national security. He also called for action against bidders who win low-price tenders but fail to implement projects.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Yes, yes, you changed it. We can see the “change.” There is no change, Minister—only the cover page. Reducing 12 entities to 5, handing work to an “independent” body and then pulling it under Finance. The Secretary to the Treasury is a former MP. Where is independence? Within this process it is clear you have no plan to reduce the unbearable tariffs burdening people. A question: you have been in power for 10 months. How many provisional approvals have you granted—for renewables? One company has pulled out; another won a tender; how far has that investor actually progressed? Not confirmed. Not a single provisional approval has been given. What new generation is coming? This is a national security issue—you spoke of birds tripping lines and blackouts. Fix these. In these 10 months you have given no provisional approvals. For years there were bidders who tendered very low to block others, won, and then never built the projects. Will you continue deals with such parties or enforce the law?
¶ 02 Thank you.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 6 August 2025 ·No. 1755159820030645 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 6 August 2025. No. 1755159820030645. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/17163