The Hon. Manjula Suraweera Arachchi

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, those who undermined our political culture—who ousted Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and are now exposed regarding the Thajudeen case—now attempt to lecture us. Rather than engage in their politics, we will rebuild the country with principle and practice. Within our mandate, we will set the country on the right path.

¶ 02 Those who kept silent during the bond scam and sought vehicles from those complicit now attempt to preach to us. We are here to discuss the Supplementary Estimate under Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation. In the 2025 Appropriation Act, Rs. 487 billion was allocated to this Ministry, much of which is already delivering. Pettah railway station and bus terminal are being rapidly developed; about 400 km of A and B class roads are being carpeted; 78 major bridges on A and B class roads are being built in 2025. About 2,000 rural roads are being developed to support our production economy.

¶ 03 Due to unavoidable constraints, Rs. 36 billion remains; we intend to use it to settle part of a Rs. 31 billion debt of the Road Development Authority. That is the purpose of this proposal. The Opposition avoids accountability for their past.

¶ 04 I represent Nuwara Eliya District. Sri Pada is a sacred, unifying site for all communities. Of the 117 km of access roads, only 29 km were carpeted in the past; we are now preparing to improve 25 km within a year, and work has begun. The Central Highlands have dangerous road conditions, as the Gerandi Ella tragedy showed. We are investing Rs. 350 million to construct protective barriers at 100 identified danger points over about 10 km, to safeguard lives.

¶ 05 The Hatton–Colombo road, a main access to Nuwara Eliya, was last developed in 1994–98 and neglected for 30 years, despite powerful ministers using it. This government has undertaken this challenging task and allocated about Rs. 2,600 million via the RDA to develop 16 main roads, including Peradeniya–Nuwara Eliya, Kandy–Hatton, Balangoda–Hatton, Badulla–Nuwara Eliya, and Nuwara Eliya–Hanguranketha. Those who never allocated funds for these are lecturing us today.

¶ 06 The Opposition follows the Goebbels doctrine—spreading falsehoods to create public narratives. We will work responsibly, day and night, to take the country forward. Governments can err, but our leadership will not deliberately betray the people. We will correct mistakes and work for the people. The Opposition will remain in opposition for years, facing justice for their crimes and corruption.

¶ 07 We love our country and are committed unconditionally to develop it and deliver justice.

¶ 08 Thank you for the time, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees.