The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, today’s Adjournment Debate is brought by the Government. Listening to many government MPs speaking about 2025 growth, what I understood was this: it is like “wearing someone else’s clothes and pretending to be them” or, as we say, trying to give birth to someone else’s child.

¶ 02 You now boast about remittances, balance of payments, and the primary balance. As I recall, by 2022 the primary balance was at zero. In 2022-2024, there was a different President until 21 September 2024 when Anura Kumara became President, with parliamentary elections in November and Parliament reconvening around December. In that short time, you took over with reserves around USD 6.6 billion; today it is about USD 6.7 billion—an increase of only a tenth of a billion. Who built that USD 6.6 billion? In 2022 it was near zero, yes; but by 2024 when you took office, you inherited those gains. Is today’s economic growth due to your policies? You claim ownership because you have no shame—starting from your leader downwards. We once thought the NPP had scholars who would not lie. But falling in with the JVP, you now lie.

¶ 03 You accused the Opposition of lying. Let me cite your lies: You said you would bring back Arjuna Mahendran. You said within the first week 70 people would be jailed. You said petrol would be Rs. 52. You said electricity tariffs would be cut by one‑third. You said on 21 April 2025 you would reveal the mastermind of the Easter attacks. It is now 2026. You boasted you would produce sulfuric acid from seawater. You bragged about BOO and promised Rs. 10 million compensation for damaged property; Rs. 1 million for a roof sheet; Rs. 5 million for land; Rs. 5 million per house. These were your leader’s words. I can table the printed sheet if you have forgotten.

¶ 04 If falsehood has a birth certificate, ownership belongs to you. Do not continue to lie that you have a five‑year mandate. The growth you tout is not seen in practice. This is a synthetic economic program. People are overwhelmed by cost‑of‑living pressures—those who ate three meals now eat two; those who ate two now eat one or survive on water; people don’t travel. One MP claimed queues were a thing of the past. Without Kanchana Wijesekera’s QR code, there would still be queues. You eliminated queues by rationing—odd and even days, distributing limited fuel via QR. You also created gas queues. And yet a backbencher claims you fixed the economy. Ask ordinary people, farmers, or state institutions how you did it.

¶ 05 You promised six‑monthly salary increments for public servants, lured them for votes, and now warn them not to protest, to stay home, to obey curfews. After telling those lies, you now claim you fixed the economy. The present improvements follow the previous administration’s program. We consistently said what would be good for the country. We did not lie—SJB members did not lie. You mocked Sajith Premadasa’s sanitary pad initiative for young women; today it is a flagship program of your government. You mocked smart boards for schools as politicization; yet you have still not properly set out an education reform program.

¶ 06 I will conclude, Hon. Deputy Chair. A strong camp capable of building a real economic, political, and social program has now emerged. Those true intellectuals should understand and join hands to build the country. Thank you.