The Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, the previous speaker spoke of children. Today we debate regulations and orders related to Port City. When Port City was being built, what did today’s Government members say? Had we done as they claimed, Sigiriya would not exist today; they said Sigiriya would be broken to bring stones for Port City. They also claimed you would need a passport to enter Port City. They said Sri Lanka would become a Chinese colony. Today, with great reluctance, they are trying to do something with Port City, which we welcome, but they do not know how.

¶ 02 First, Port City was built for transactions—not merely real estate. Real estate is needed, but policy clarity for transactions is essential. If governments change policies whimsically, investors from challenged countries will not bring business here. For Port City to work, when an investor comes, Cabinet and Parliament should not have to be notified for each transaction. Competing hubs exist—India’s GIFT City, Singapore, Hong Kong. With current turmoil in the Gulf and Middle East, capital is seeking alternative hubs. Are you prepared? Have you built a transparent, business-friendly framework centered on Port City? We do not see such effort.

¶ 03 Meanwhile, over Rs. 13 billion went missing from a private bank. Ordinary people face numerous questions to deposit even Rs. 1 million, yet Rs. 13–14 billion disappear and Government, Treasury and Central Bank were silent. Then we hear “hackers did it.” Ten instalments amounting to over Rs. 800 million were paid to the wrong account—if the dollar appreciates, the loss grows. One MP says, “these are mistakes.” Easy to say. They claim to have digitised the State, but cannot read an email and enter the correct account number; even after Central Bank alerts, they paid again. Who is accountable? Will you say it was a Rajapaksa hacker? That is the easy tale. But these are people’s tax rupees.

¶ 04 At the Postal Department, US$ 600,000 was paid to a wrong account. At RDA, contractors received double payments; Rs. 510 million remain unrecovered. What action have you taken when wrong payments are made?

¶ 05 The President is also the Finance Minister. For every minor slight on social media he sends the CID. But when Rs. 800 million go to a wrong account, where is the CID? What steps were taken? None; it was covered up. He knew in January but took no decision. On coal, they shamelessly said importing substandard coal was not a fraud.

¶ 06 We have become the country that paid the highest prices for fuel—US$ 286–302 per barrel. Every rupee and dollar ultimately burdens the people.

¶ 07 A new practice is to appoint a political “coordinator”—a hacker—to every Divisional Secretariat. Why? Is it to harvest social capital and data? Divisional Secretaries and District Secretaries have objected, but you ignore them. You claim even the Finance Ministry was hacked; what will you hack next—Divisional Secretariats?

¶ 08 One more plea: a Sri Lankan fisherman, Ajandan from Jaffna, was attacked within our maritime zone by Indian fishermen, taken to India, and is hospitalised in Chennai with sutures. We call on the Foreign Minister to intervene diplomatically. The family has complained to Police; we see no government intervention.

¶ 09 Finally, on May Day I saw the President and Ministers reading charge sheets—no talk of workers. The President spoke of “mother, father, son”—but remember, however much you try, your frauds cannot be buried.