The Hon. B. Ariyawansha

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, Hon. Prime Minister, Hon. Leader of the House, Hon. Leader of the Opposition, I thank the people who elected me as a Member of the Tenth Parliament.

¶ 02 I entered politics from Kolonna, serving as Chairman and Opposition Leader of the Kolonna Pradeshiya Sabha, and as a Member of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council. I first served as organizer for Kolonna and now, as organizer for Rakwana of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), I have been elected from Ratnapura District. I thank all our supporters across Rakwana, Kolonna and the Ratnapura District, including those from other parties – Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna – who supported me.

¶ 03 I joined politics in 1994 with the UNP and served mostly in Opposition. Even when we helped elect Maithripala Sirisena as President in 2015, we did not feel a real difference. We hoped to elect Hon. Sajith Premadasa as President to solve the country’s problems. In 2019 we worked very hard, but could not succeed. For 25 years, our Leader, Hon. Sajith Premadasa, has served as MP and Party Leader from the Opposition. Again in 2024, he did not get that chance to serve as President. Nevertheless, he used every rupee available to him to serve the people: through Sakwala for children’s education, Husma, Janasuwaya, Sasunata Aruna and many other programmes. We witnessed children’s tears of joy when comfortable classrooms and school buses were provided to rural schools lacking basic facilities.

¶ 04 Therefore, while the National People’s Power forms the Government today, they have no right to point fingers at the entire Opposition and claim we bankrupted and destroyed the country. It was corruption and waste that ruined this country, and the people answered well at the last elections by keeping many responsible at home. Do not malign the entire Opposition. We, too, are committed to serve the people, especially in rural areas facing many issues: poor road networks where patients are carried on makeshift stretchers or loaded into whatever vehicle is available because roads are so bad.

¶ 05 Our farmers are also suffering. I appeal to the Agriculture Ministry, in the forthcoming Budget, to focus on banana farmers. Banana prices have collapsed – some varieties down to Rs. 30 per kilo, Kolikuttu below Rs. 100 per kilo. Just as fertilizer subsidies are provided for other crops, we propose extending fertilizer subsidies to banana farmers as well.

¶ 06 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees.