The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, this is my maiden speech, and a historic moment in several ways. After 76 years, a person with a disability has a seat in Sri Lanka’s Parliament. This did not happen by accident; it reflects the vision of a political movement that recognized the need for persons with disabilities (PwDs) to have representation in the supreme decision-making body. I thank the National People’s Power leadership and the community of over 1.7 million PwDs whom I represent.

¶ 02 I also thank the Secretary-General of Parliament and the staff for facilitating my participation, and my family for their support. We all live together—disabled and non-disabled—in this House. Diversity creates beauty; I, who cannot see, speak here while sign-language interpretation is provided for the deaf community, ensuring communication access.

¶ 03 But what rights has this community enjoyed? As a child I listened on radio to great speeches in this Chamber. In recent years, however, I heard insulting language mocking disabilities. I urge that such abusive language be disallowed in this august House. We did not choose disability; we live with it, striving with love of life. Yet unemployment among PwDs is reported to be around 71 percent despite a 1988 circular reserving 3 percent in public sector jobs. This must be addressed.

¶ 04 A Cabinet decision enabled recruitment of disabled graduates through Provincial Councils, yet some councils refused to implement it. Graduates remain jobless; their mothers, who borrowed to fund education, suffer. Many others without degrees survive on small disability allowances. In our upcoming Budget we will increase the disability allowance from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 10,000, not as charity but as part of empowerment to integrate PwDs into the labour force and national development.

¶ 05 Sri Lanka signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006 and ratified it about ten years later, but we still lack harmonized domestic legislation. The current Act dates to 1996, focusing narrowly on access to education, employment, and vocational training, and has proved inadequate. We must enact a new law aligned with the CRPD’s 25 rights and establish an institutional framework under Article 33 of the Convention that ensures active participation of PwDs in decision-making.

¶ 06 Enforcement has been lacking. Though the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment 14 years ago on accessibility, successive governments failed to implement it. There is not even a single accessible bus or train coach in regular public transport. That is why you rarely see PwDs—lack of accessible mobility keeps them at home. We propose immediate implementation of accessibility standards across public infrastructure.

¶ 07 Hon. Presiding Member, please allow me a brief conclusion. Provide tax concessions for essential assistive devices so that people can minimize functional limitations. Our community is ready to live dignified, beautiful lives in a prosperous country. Over the next five years, this Government led by the NPP will devote itself fully to that end. Thank you.