Hon. Ruwan Mapalagama

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, in this adjournment debate on COPE’s Fourth Report, since morning many Opposition MPs have strayed from the subject, airing personal agendas, instead of speaking to the achievements and measures of the 10th Parliament’s COPE under the new Government. As a COPE Member, I regret this.

¶ 02 COPE has authority over more than 450 State institutions. Summoning many of them, chaired by Hon. (Dr.) Nishantha Samarawickrama, we have consistently found common issues: misinterpretation or misapplication of founding statutes; lack of understanding of corporate, annual, and operational planning; and problems in HR and performance management.

¶ 03 Historically, COPE gained the most public attention—and delivered strong performance—under Hon. Sunil Handunnetti. Now, this COPE has, for the first time, written to all 458 institutions based on the Auditor General’s triennial reports, requiring written responses within two months on audit issues. Previously, COPE would pick a few institutions and revisit after long gaps, allowing malpractices to persist. Not anymore.

¶ 04 Further, rather than a single omnibus report, we now prepare individual reports per institution. We have also proposed amendments to Standing Orders so that, based on COPE findings, matters can be referred to the CID or the Bribery Commission.

¶ 05 We also encountered officials who believe they need only endure a few hours of admonition. Let me state clearly: mere admonition will not be the end. If you are involved in fraud, corruption, or illegality, the law will follow you.

¶ 06 On the University of Sabaragamuwa, which COPE examined: in 2021 the Faculty of Technology purchased 114 books (33 titles) for Rs. 7.56 million; these turned out to be used books bought at new-book prices. A further 227 books were purchased for Rs. 12.1 million, at prices far exceeding market—books available for Rs. 3,500–4,000 were bought for Rs. 150,000 each. The short-term loss from these book purchases alone exceeds Rs. 20 million.

¶ 07 Also, in October 2022, a security officer reported soil shortage on campus. An inquiry found about 500 cubic meters of soil had been removed from university land, allegedly at the personal request of a local councilor—unknown to security or even the Vice-Chancellor. Such governance failures keep surfacing.

¶ 08 We also noted, with sorrow, the recent student suicide at Sabaragamuwa University. A three-member committee headed by retired Judge S. S. Malalgoda is investigating, with initial indications of ragging as a contributing factor and failure by the highest authorities to prevent it.

¶ 09 COPE exposes how some institutional heads, sitting in air-conditioned rooms, misuse public money. For example, the National Youth Services Council, near a presidential election, procured T-shirts worth millions from a hardware store. Those who presided over such acts are absent here today.

¶ 10 The people empowered this Government to act against corruption, waste, and abuse. From President Anura and the Cabinet to all 159 MPs and over 4,000 local representatives, we are committed to that mission. Despite the Opposition’s theatrics, the journey of this people’s Government will continue steadfastly. We will build a country free of corruption for future generations to reap the harvest. Thank you.