The Hon. Dewananda Suraweera

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, before speaking on strengthening regulations under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act for tourism, let me say this. It is not that the Opposition does not understand what the National People’s Power (NPP) is doing. Over this period, it has been evident that the Opposition cannot reconcile with their conscience.

¶ 02 We, as the NPP, have learned from history and are steering the present toward victory with vision and purpose. We inherited a bankrupt state, crushed by debt. In this Parliament, the Rajapaksas, under extraordinary privileges, fostered a narco-criminal state: remember, they turned this country into a criminal state—creating the likes of “Middeniya Kajjala,” “Kehelbaddara Padme,” and mafia networks like “Dom Saman.” Drug traffickers captured the state.

¶ 03 The previous speaker lamented education while drugs now infiltrate schools; in Colombo District alone there are many such schools being targeted. We are not merely changing any ordinary state; we are transforming a bankrupt, criminalized one. The Opposition, unable to bear this, spreads various narratives and mud.

¶ 04 They created a society that devalued human life and broke the rule of law. Within our first year, as our Members and Ministers showed with statistics, we have increased state revenue, launched a massive effort against drugs and crime, and improved foreign reserves and social welfare.

¶ 05 We raised the minimum basic salary of public servants from Rs. 24,250 to Rs. 40,000; increased pensions by Rs. 3,000; raised the private sector minimum basic wage from Rs. 21,000 to Rs. 27,000; enhanced disaster loans; increased Grade 5 scholarship assistance to Rs. 1,500; raised Mahapola; and provided Rs. 6,000 for school stationery and books. We also expanded welfare such as Aswesuma and support to kidney patients. Are these crimes? We have moved a bankrupt, corrupt state to a better place.

¶ 06 Sri Lanka has risen 15 places in the Global Democracy Index. The World Bank identified Sri Lanka as a country recovering fastest among those that collapsed. The Opposition, however, keeps spinning fables, like Harry Potter or Aladdin’s lamp, to mislead people—as they have since 1956. But the people have grown up; on 21 September last year, they proved they would not be deceived, electing Comrade Anura Dissanayake as President.

¶ 07 Now they try to turn Parliament into a stage for cheap magic. Those who are not criminals, not bond scammers, not antigen thieves, know what is happening to this country. As our colleagues said, the President delivered an excellent speech at the UNGA, addressing global challenges and where we, as a nation and world, must go.

¶ 08 Hon. Deputy Chairperson: Please conclude.

¶ 09 Very well. The President said: “Over the past year, I have had a dream of hope for my country. You have your dreams of hope for your countries. My singular dream is to ensure my people inherit a prosperous life filled with happiness. I trust you dream the same for your people. For all these dreams, we must walk not apart, but hand in hand.” Quoting the UN’s chartered ideals, he invited the world to be true “healers.” That is our prayer and that of the NPP. Thank you.