The Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne - Deputy Minister of Mass Media

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, before today’s topics, let me respond regarding the Women’s Commission. There was a commotion this morning. The Hon. Minister has repeatedly clarified that the Commission’s operational and technical delays are being rectified. Yet an attempt was made to create a picture that we are suppressing the Commission. It was our movement that built a genuine women’s movement giving voice to real issues and brought to Parliament, for the first time, 20 women leaders from grassroots—not from family dynasties. The Opposition Leader, who levels these charges, could not even build such a movement in his own party; some genuine grassroots women of the SJB were denied nominations and parked on the National List despite knowing they would not be appointed. Put your party’s women’s movement in order first; then let’s debate women’s rights. There were procedural delays; they have been corrected. Do not drag the Commission into false controversies.

¶ 02 Today we present for approval four Gazettes—regulations, orders and resolutions—linked to our economy, foreign relations and tourism. To the broken record that our Government cannot even run a corner shop and will lose all international ties, I respond: yesterday IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, during a media interview here, said:

¶ 03 “I had a chance to meet with the community affected by ‘Ditwah’ and see that people remain strong… I am very impressed by how the Government stepped forward, quickly and decisively. We, at the IMF, were able to provide emergency financing of over US Dollars 200 million, which came in very timely… Indeed, Sri Lanka has had quite a challenge in the last decade. Now, we have a tremendous opportunity for the country. I think for the first time, there is a Government that is trusted by the people and is doing their part to gain that trust… in a short time Sri Lanka regained macroeconomic and financial stability. Inflation was 70%, now is down to 2%. Growth was negative, now we have about 5% growth… I also saw in the President and in the members of the Government, genuine interest in the well-being of people… This Government is working so hard to achieve that.”

¶ 04 These are her words, not ours. This week—and the past two weeks—showcase strong international engagement: By the President’s invitation, the India–Pakistan cricket match here; 500 MT of rice from Myanmar on goodwill; the EU–Sri Lanka Joint Commission met on Feb. 12–13 discussing GSP Plus, maritime security and socio-economic relations; we signed an economic cooperation agreement with Japan to boost Japanese investments; the UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy visited; and the IMF MD visited. The President is participating in India’s state-level summit on Artificial Intelligence—key for our digital economy. Within one year, contrary to predictions, we have attained growth rates: 4.8% in Q1 2025, 4.9% in Q2, and 5.4% in Q3; our medium-term growth target is 7%, with inflation around 5%—January 2026 inflation was 2.3%. Despite disruptions from the “Ditwah” cyclone to transport, rapid government intervention restored services and restrained inflation. We rejected calls to revise the Budget after the cyclone; we stayed the course. Policy rates are at a stable 7.75%. Though vehicle imports cost USD 1.8 billion, by December 2025 reserves stood at USD 6.8 billion. We serviced USD 3.9 billion in debt in 2025. Tourism arrivals are up—2025 will see the highest numbers, a 15.1% increase over 2024, chiefly from India, the UK and Russia. Remittances, FDI and exports are rising; the current account shows a USD 1.7 billion surplus.

¶ 05 When the US imposed tariffs, the Opposition rejoiced; through negotiation we reduced impacts—by about 24% in my understanding. Stop rooting for collapse; organize with credible arguments instead of replaying the same old record. Our path is steady; data are clear—we are moving to a stable economy and out of the abyss.

¶ 06 Thank you.