Hon. Gayan Janaka

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, it has been one year and four days since the Hon. President assumed office. The Opposition asked what we have done as a Government in this time. Though this is not the time to narrate everything, I will briefly highlight a few points.

¶ 02 This morning I heard the good news that in May 2025 Sri Lanka has been named the best place to travel. Over the past year and four days, even as we slept and woke, we heard such positive news. Each passing day builds new hope for the future. Another historic matter is the Hon. President Anura Dissanayake’s exceptional address to the UN General Assembly—lifting our small nation to global heights, focusing the world on peace instead of war and on eradicating poverty through sustainable foundations. We have no DBO journey; we have a collective journey, uniting everyone.

¶ 03 Not with words alone can we build trust; practice is crucial. Over the past year we have steadily restored strength and stability to a broken country, reaffirmed the rule of law and equality before the law—whether former President Ranil Wickremesinghe or a driver of the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation—law applies equally. We have initiated a new political culture. The President stated at the UN that a people’s representative serves the people, not misuses public funds as privilege. We can say that because we are setting that example.

¶ 04 We are suppressing organized crime and eradicating all forms of narcotics. Across sectors, we can speak with pride about the past year: we have moved the country forward to look optimistically at the future.

¶ 05 We stabilized the economy. In Q2 2025, GDP grew by +4.9%, compared to -4.1% in Q2 2024. Government revenue Jan–Jul 2024 was Rs. 2,156 billion; Jan–Jul 2025 it increased to Rs. 2,729 billion—an increase of Rs. 573 billion. Customs, Inland Revenue, and Excise exceeded targets. In the first eight months of 2025, export earnings rose by USD 11,600 million, a 7.79% increase over the same period last year. Over 1.6 million tourists have arrived so far; we target 3 million this year, with tourism earnings already over USD 2.3 billion toward a USD 4 billion target.

¶ 06 Workers’ remittances: in the first seven months of 2024, USD 3.7 billion; by August 2025, over USD 5.1 billion. FDI Jan–Aug 2024 was USD 307 million; Jan–Aug 2025 USD 783 million—a 126% increase. Reserves have grown to USD 6 billion. Interest rates have been brought to a single digit—now 7.45%. The exchange rate has been maintained near Rs. 300 per USD over the past year.

¶ 07 We inherited a crisis economy and stabilized it within a year, enabling growth. Building the future requires a strong economic foundation; we have built that over the past year, alongside a political movement that builds public trust and a new political culture.

¶ 08 Finally, Hon. Sajith Premadasa asked how we will pay debt in 2028. The process to rebuild the country to repay in 2028 is what we have begun over the past year. We will work with the people to build the country’s future, with the necessary strength and courage. Thank you.