The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak on several Regulations under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act and the Order under the Stamp Duty (Special Provisions) Act.

¶ 02 We must pay more attention to our exporters. Post-COVID, the apparel sector, coconut-related industries and exports, as well as rubber and tea exporters, have been affected. The Government’s recent decision on the Simplified VAT (SVAT) has seriously impacted these sectors. Abolishing SVAT and imposing regular VAT on exporters is harmful. These sectors bring in vital dollars. If exports fall, all of us and the country will face a severe situation. Please retain the SVAT mechanism; otherwise exporters’ cash flows are strained and refunds cause delays, with added administrative burdens at Inland Revenue. SVAT avoided much of that.

¶ 03 Take coconut-based industries: today, they lack adequate nuts. You said 200 million coconuts would be imported—none materialized. Now, husks used by value-added exporters cost Rs. 15-20 each; this is unsustainable. Removing SVAT now will worsen matters.

¶ 04 On pharmaceuticals, many of our manufacturers, including in the Bingiriya Export Processing Zone (EPZ) I initiated six years ago, are now poised not only to meet domestic needs but to export high-quality medicines. The Minister of Health, Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa, told me after visiting the site that substantial progress has been made and they will expedite completion. With companies like Synergy Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Pvt.) Ltd. there, more investors are keen to come. To move forward, they need tax relief and incentives. Their requests are already before the Ministry of Finance. Please support them so we can start more pharma plants in Bingiriya EPZ.

¶ 05 I also wish to note what I said in Hansard of 19 March 2025: I predicted the Opposition would secure control of the Bingiriya and Udubaddawa Pradeshiya Sabhas. We achieved that. I also said the Opposition would form administrations in 100 of 300 local bodies; we have secured 58 so far, with more pending. The people have sent a message: after seven or eight months, this Government has not delivered—no projects, no bridges, no major industries, and none of the 10 EPZs promised by the President. They talk of catching thieves, but village-level development is absent.

¶ 06 Furthermore, while you call the Opposition thieves, look at Kurunegala Municipal Council: the Deputy Mayor nominated by the newly elected Mayor from Malimawa is from ACMC, formerly associated with Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen. There are complaints against him—improper leasing of stalls to his wife outside tender, illegal acquisition of a building, alleged sale of 4.5 perches of State land near the Kurunegala Hospital with forged documents, and involvement in the “Buwaneka Hotel” bulldozer incident relating to a protected royal council hall site. Will you act on the Kanthanagoda Committee report and these complaints? You spoke of purity and independence; yet you ally with those you once accused. Do not call the Opposition names when you are forming councils with such individuals.

¶ 07 Our main concern is the country is not moving forward; rather, it is stagnating or reversing. Businesses are struggling; purchasing power is weak; officials are hesitant to take decisions. To the Minister of Power and Energy: what is the status of the Siyambalanduwa 100 MW solar project? It is stuck. Likewise, the next 300–350 MW stage at Kerawalapitiya is not progressing. This paralysis is due to your inability to push projects forward and officials’ reluctance to decide. The country cannot progress like this. Thank you.