Hon. Chrishantha Abeysena - Minister of Science and Technology

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, this is my maiden speech. First of all, I express my gratitude to the people of the Gampaha District who elected me to Parliament, especially the people of Wattala and Ja-Ela. We won the Wattala seat by a majority of 45,699 votes. I believe that, as the NPP, we received the highest vote count in the history of the Wattala seat. Therefore, I especially extend my gratitude to the people of Wattala.

¶ 02 Likewise, I must thank our comrades of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna who work voluntarily without any benefit across the island. They are the strength of our political movement.

¶ 03 I also came into politics through the student movement. We know the dedication of students, especially in free education and in medical education. Therefore, I pay tribute to them in this first speech of mine.

¶ 04 Successive governments have sold the name of C. W. W. Kannangara, the father of free education, while dismantling free education day by day—especially after 1977 with white papers and various “programmes”. Today, many children cannot attend school; they cannot afford books, a school bag, or shoes. Free education has fallen into a pit.

¶ 05 We also lost medical students who stood with us. I remember them now. Due to unscientific and irregular policies regarding medical education, it was disrupted more than once. Under an NPP government we will ensure that our medical students will not have to take to the streets again.

¶ 06 There are issues in the new medical faculties: clinical facilities, staffing, and academic problems. Having served nearly 28 years in the academic stream of the Ragama Medical Faculty and reached nomination as a Professor at the end of my BSc, I know these internal issues. I urge immediate action for all medical faculties, especially the new ones in Wayamba, Sabaragamuwa, Moratuwa, and Uva. Education must be provided at least according to the Sri Lanka Medical Council’s minimum qualifications as gazetted. We expect prompt compliance, and as a government we will extend maximum support. No medical or university student should have to protest on the streets for such matters.

¶ 07 We also know the history of our labour movement. Successive governments neglected farmers and workers. If any gains were made—by doctors included—it was through protest. Personally, I do not endorse strikes in the health sector, but historically that is how change occurred. We must create mechanisms to resolve disputes without burdening the public.

¶ 08 I also thank all who speak for the oppressed—whether due to religion, ethnicity, disability, or incarceration—who advocate for justice and social fairness.

¶ 09 Regarding the Easter attacks, five and a half years have passed. They occurred under the Yahapalana government, with deeper political links. Those in power then did nothing genuine for the victims—only played games, including some in the then Opposition. We will ensure justice for the victims of the Easter attacks.

¶ 10 On national reconciliation, we have said NPP Members are present across Sri Lanka. But past governments had Tamil and Muslim representatives too, yet people’s issues were not solved merely by forming governments. We are not ethnic or religious chauvinists; all 159 of us believe in equal opportunities and rights for all. We will remove barriers and work deeply—beyond superficialities—to build true national unity.

¶ 11 On science and technology: the first dedicated ministry was created around 1994, with Hon. V. W. K. Weerakoon of the LSSP as an early minister. In the last five years there was essentially no such ministry. We spend only about 0.12% of GDP on science and technology, while others invest far more: Israel ~6%, South Korea 5.2%, Japan 3.4%, China 2.5%, India ~0.65%. Sri Lankan governments have not recognized science and technology as central to the economy.

¶ 12 This year, only about 38% of our ministry’s expenditure is capital spending; the overall allocations are very small—perhaps due to late releases.

¶ 13 We often have evidence and research but lack mechanisms to translate them into practice—true in health too. We need systems to operationalize evidence.

¶ 14 We have rich natural resources from which we can produce value-added goods. For example, we spend Rs. 8 billion annually to import 50,000 MT of phosphate. Using our Eppawala deposit, with the Ministry of Industries we can produce value-added products like triple superphosphate for local fertilizer needs and save foreign exchange, even earn it.

¶ 15 Some spoke about a “middle path”. In the past the SLFP claimed that, now others do while signaling left and turning right. They criticize ISBs, but most ISBs were issued during Yahapalana. Now they tell us how to resolve it. They ask whether we have deals with Ranil Wickremesinghe. We know who had deals before and after elections. The people rejected that. We will implement “A Prosperous Country, a Beautiful Life” with courage and strength.