Hon. Chandima Hettiaratchi

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today the Opposition is not speaking about public enterprises; they are running a mud-slinging enterprise. This morning Hon. Nalin Bandara came here, dramatized and hurled accusations similar to those during the election—like saying we are heading to Cuba. Now he says we fear “private models.” We fear only the “thief model,” where good institutions and offices are used for theft—the Presidency, ministries, Parliament—used for corruption. That is what we oppose.

¶ 02 He alleged that when the CEB makes losses and LTL makes profits, we are against private enterprise. The reality: the CEB holds 63% of LTL; 27% went to a private holding. When selling, they leveraged LTL’s own assets and formed a new company, using it privately. Employees held 10% but did they receive benefits? Litigation ensued; then the 19th Amendment enabled audits where there’s State shareholding, but a clause was cited to block audits; later the 20th Amendment reversed some issues; then a Board decision invited the Auditor General to audit; but an affiliate filed suit in the Commercial High Court to prevent a special general meeting—still pending. This is how good structures were converted to bad models to block audits, with public money trapped inside a private structure.

¶ 03 A director who came before COPE said, “We can do anything—just stop the Government getting 51%.” We are not afraid of fair deals; we fear dirty deals. We won’t whitewash.

¶ 04 Some claim public servants are now fearful and cannot work. Our view: thieves should fear the law; honest officers need not. We have heard before COPE how an LRC officer was allegedly coerced to facilitate Rs. 350 million, and how an officer at the National Youth Services Council was pressured the day before an election to sign a Rs. 100 million cheque. That was when officials were truly afraid. This Government has straightened officials’ spines to stand against corruption.

¶ 05 On LRC land matters: there is no blanket order stopping alienation. Where land is misused, the current Chair and LRC have initiated legal action; opposing parties have gone to court and LRC is responding accordingly.

¶ 06 On the Opposition’s broader narrative: they try to distract with repeated container talk because some are anxious about drug seizures. Our Government is delivering on its accountability promise. Earlier, it was “Ali Baba and the forty thieves”—no accountability. We are protecting public funds and property, strengthening processes through COPE. Let us all support that. Thank you.