The Hon. Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to make my maiden speech in the Tenth Parliament. I also thank the people of Kegalle who gave the NPP 312,441 votes—about 64.8%—electing seven of nine MPs from the district.

¶ 02 Some try to belittle our national victory as merely the product of people’s frustration. Yes, it is a victory born of deep public disillusionment—with the political system that bankrupted and devastated this country over 76 years, and with the elite governance order that ruined it. But it is also a mandate infused with new hope—to rescue the country from bankruptcy and end this tragedy. We understand the depth of responsibility; we will not play with the people’s mandate. Though it is less than a month since we convened, the Opposition already demands our roadmap. We are a responsible movement. We are ready to fulfill the mandate and the people’s expectations.

¶ 03 Over 76 years, the elite order destroyed not only the economy and people’s lives but also the environment. Now we must rebuild the fractured economy, people’s livelihoods, and the damaged environmental system. Colonial rulers caused massive environmental damage—clearing forests for plantations and transport infrastructure. Yet in less than a century after independence, local rulers have inflicted even worse harm: forests, wildlife, air, and water are in peril. The X-Press Pearl disaster ravaged the marine environment; human–elephant conflict has escalated; water pollution is widespread.

¶ 04 We must halt and reverse this destruction and restore the balance between humans and nature. It is a formidable task, but we accept it, honoring the people’s mandate.

¶ 05 The Environment Ministry bears the duty to protect nature and rebalance human–environment relations. In recent years, instead, the Ministry and related agencies were fragmented and diverted, becoming arenas for rackets and rent-seeking. Our first step was to reunify dispersed environmental institutions under one system within the Ministry. We are now ready to centrally manage environmental protection and rebuild the balance between humans and wildlife.