The Hon. Sanjeewa Ranasingha

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, today’s debate is on the proposal for further steps under the “2024 Mud Crab Fisheries Management Regulations” made by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources under Section 61 of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, No. 2 of 1996.

¶ 02 Fisheries is an industry with processes intertwined with many sectors and the national economy. This proposal is presented to uplift the fisheries industry and attract diverse investments to develop it.

¶ 03 I must also speak about the Matugama electorate in Kalutara District, which I represent. Historically, Matugama has played roles in social, economic and political processes. It is the land nurtured by C. W. W. Kannangara, the father of free education. It is also where leaders like Anil Munasinghe and Daya T. Pasqual provided great examples in politics.

¶ 04 We saw major socio-economic shifts in the last Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government elections. We won Matugama in the Presidential and General Elections. During the Local Government elections, the people in 57 GN divisions of the Matugama Pradeshiya Sabha area decided that the National People’s Power (NPP) should win. Yet thereafter we saw attempts to distort that mandate, and even today those in control continue to betray public expectations. Through conspiratorial means, they captured power in the Matugama Pradeshiya Sabha. As a result, services expected by the people have faltered; garbage piles up, roads are overgrown, drains are clogged, and cemeteries are neglected. Those who led and enabled that conspiracy must be held accountable.

¶ 05 Despite not having power, they obstructed the functions of the Sabha. It was claimed that around 200 projects were approved. Yet last year, through the Matugama Coordinating Committee and Provincial Council funds, we managed to implement projects worth about 50 million rupees via the Pradeshiya Sabha. The conspirators, driven by authoritarianism and power-lust, staged shows on social media to seize the Sabha, thereby denying many relief and services to the people of Matugama. As a result, people are now in hardship.

¶ 06 Therefore, those who blurred the people’s dream of a prosperous life under proper local governance must be named. Thank you for the time given.