The Hon. Chanaka Madugoda

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, the previous speaker said during elections they saw “Meals Available” boards but no food inside. Today too there are such boards, but when you go in the first question is, “Are you cooking with a yellow or a blue gas cylinder?” Prices make you turn back. That is the reality.

¶ 02 We are discussing the economy. If your government has taken positive steps, we should see it reflected among our beloved people at the village level. We do not. To be fair, there are some good things—you deserve credit for those—but we cannot forget the Mahinda Rajapaksa era when discussing growth. In 2004, when he took over, per capita income was USD 1,063; by 2014, USD 3,821—achieved during a 30‑year cursed war. In 2004, GDP was USD 20.18 billion; by 2014, USD 79.4 billion—again during war. The highest growth—9.1 per cent—was in 2012 under President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

¶ 03 He built expressways, ports, airports, irrigation, Norochcholai, and the Port City; he developed massive road networks, bridges, and overall infrastructure; he strengthened the private sector alongside public recruitment. The current government relies on that groundwork for its growth. You mocked Port City as a Chinese colony and Sigiriya’s stone being insufficient, but today you take its benefits; the same with Mattala Airport, Hambantota Port, and Uma Oya. You said expressways were to transport ambul thiya; now you rely on those networks.

¶ 04 If the economy strengthens, we all support it—we will not obstruct. I will not list all your missteps over 76 years, but I must raise this: we commemorated Victory Day on the 18th. Yet questions arise whether it was truly a victory celebration. In some northern places the events were held to the limits set by the LTTE diaspora—displaying Eelam maps, singing Eelam songs, reading militant texts calling for a separate state. That cannot be allowed in a country freed by our tri‑forces who sacrificed eyes, limbs, and blood. We must honour those lives.

¶ 05 We see some northern MPs always donning ethno‑nationalism, even proposing to name Victory Day as a day of genocide. They took oaths in this Parliament to a unitary state—how can they propose genocide days? We register our protest. The government has a responsibility to act against any such moves or rhetoric.

¶ 06 Finally, regarding Lanka Mineral Sands Ltd. workers—we have consistently raised their plight. Minister Bimal Rathnayake responded that current staff would be absorbed. Today, approval has been given to recruit 102. But they plan to do so through open advertisements, which could exclude the current internal cadre who served unpaid for a year and a half. The Minister promised in Parliament to absorb them. I urge attention to this. If the government truly strengthens the economy, we all will be happy. Thank you.