The Hon. Mano Ganesan

¶ 01 When Hon. (Dr.) Najith Indika and also Hon. Samantha Vidyaratna referred to me earlier, I rose to respond. Regarding the Budget’s Rs. 400 for estate workers—Rs. 200 from companies and Rs. 200 from the Government—the Tamil Progressive Alliance welcomes it with appreciation. Our Deputy Leaders, Digambaram and Radhakrishnan, also expressed their support. If any MP here or outside raised legal queries about the Government’s Rs. 200 contribution, understand the context: they asked whether there could be a legal issue with the Government paying that component. That does not mean “do not pay.” We say, pay it. If there is a legal aspect, you must take responsibility, and the President already notified this in his speech.

¶ 02 But please do not confine the estate community’s issues only to wages. In the March Interim Budget, the Minister promised me that from the houses built under Ranil Wickremesinghe’s period there were 1,300 remaining, and that 4,700 more would be built, totaling 6,000 by December 31. It was not done. I accept you spoke in good faith; do it next year.

¶ 03 The President now says Rs. 4,090 million under the Indian model will be invested to build 2,000 houses. There is a discrepancy: earlier you said 6,000 (1,300 + 4,700), but now it is 2,000. Please clarify during the Committee Stage debate under your Ministry’s Head.

¶ 04 Your Secretary Mr. Prabath Chandrakeerthi earlier said these would be flats (apartment blocks), not individual houses. We opposed that then and still oppose it: do not build flats on estates in the hills; build individual houses. You replied previously that they would be individual houses—please confirm at Committee Stage how many and what type in the coming year.

¶ 05 Also, advise your newer MPs from the estates: the President knows me well and has spoken with me; teach them how to discuss respectfully with senior MPs. If Ranil has “Learn with Ranil,” you should start “Learn with Anura” for your Ministers.

¶ 06 Our policy in TPA is not wage-obsessed. We are not in the Wages Board or collective agreements. We want estate workers to transition from perpetual labor to stakeholders—through cooperatives—becoming small estate owners. That is the permanent solution, not annual fights over Rs. 1,000 or Rs. 2,000.

¶ 07 Regarding the New Villages Development Authority for the Plantation Region: the Government tried to abolish it. I wrote to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake asking not to. He acknowledged and, today, has allocated the same amount that Ranil Wickremesinghe allocated—Rs. 5 million. You promised not to abolish it, yet there seems to be an underlying intent to close it—perhaps by you or your Secretary. Do not do that. Strengthen it. We created this Authority to coordinate across eight Ministries—housing, land, education, health, etc.—because the plantation community are late starters: they got citizenship in 2003 and their last schools were absorbed into the national system in 1974; hence low performance across housing, land, education, health. The Authority addresses this.

¶ 08 Also, remember, the TPA was only a coalition partner in Government; we did not hold the Presidency or PM. Do not dump every past fault on us. The SJB is not the UNP; it is a progressive grouping. Do not brand everyone as thieves; if we ask questions, do not get angry.

¶ 09 Please, do not limit Up-country people’s development to wages. Beyond wages, grant land rights and build houses. India is helping on housing because we negotiated with PM Narendra Modi. That support was given to Sri Lanka, now under your stewardship—please implement. Do not forget history; we have done much—local councils, divisional secretariats, schools, Indian aid, etc. Multiple Ministries are involved: yours, Labour (Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe), Finance. Your senior Ministers should clarify matters so that your junior MPs do not attack us inside and outside the House.

¶ 10 Finally, your “Hatton Declaration” clearly mentions land rights—do not betray it. About 1 million live in estate regions; only about 150,000 are current estate workers; the rest also need land. They are Sri Lankans. Let us move forward, not revisit dark histories.

¶ 11 Thank you.