The Hon. Rohana Bandara

¶ 01 Now it is clear—justice for friends, threats for officers. Also, in Galle MC, where your party’s Mayor was elected, the Deputy Mayor is from the SLPP—someone you yourselves accused of corruption. To evade charges and secure protection, you gifted him the Deputy Mayorship. So your “odds and ends” have become precious gems when it suits you.

¶ 02 In Medawachchiya PS, it was known the Commissioner would conduct a secret ballot; yet Rs. 5 million was promised, with Rs. 1.5 million advanced to secure a member’s vote. Then multiple procedural “divisions” were raised to manipulate the process. Civil servants’ spines are being broken; members are being bought. You promised to end theft and corruption; instead, you are practicing it. Where we did not have majorities, we accepted it; but people now ask the Opposition to unite against harmful government decisions. We did so openly, through public statements, not secret deals. Meanwhile, you pressure officials and subvert process.

¶ 03 On the dairy issue discussed yesterday: punish the guilty. But note some failures were due to administrative lapses and process issues, not merely the imported cattle. Many institutions are performing well; today in Matale, milk collection exceeds 65,000 liters daily. The problem lies in the chain, and some responsible officials now sit with you.

¶ 04 On fertilizer: yesterday’s duty-free urea was given to one company; urea is now coming in 10 kg “sachet” packs instead of 50 kg, and prices have risen from Rs. 8,000 to around Rs. 9,500 per bag. Farmers are concerned.

¶ 05 War in Iraq and the region could disrupt urea imports. What is your contingency plan? You promised fertilizer support but turned it into a meager subsidy while the market is short. On dairy, we were near self-sufficiency at 1.5 million liters daily need vs. 1.0 million produced; within seven months production has fallen by about 250,000 liters to around 750,000 daily, while consumer purchasing power has dropped. Dairy also needs urea for fodder. You speak as if perfect, but the country is moving backward. We handed over a country with over USD 5.9 billion in reserves, not the fiction you peddle here and abroad.

¶ 06 Thank you.