The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, before I begin, I wish to briefly respond to a point made by a previous Member regarding inter-university student exchanges. That initiative was started during the tenure of Minister Lalith Athulathmudali; it was presented internationally by Dr. Wickrema Weerasooria and carried forward by Education Minister Anura Bandaranaike as well.

¶ 02 Listening to the Budget debate today, I am reminded of former Finance Ministers celebrated for “scientific” speeches—J.R. Jayewardene, Ronnie de Mel, Mangala Samaraweera, Ravi Karunanayake, and Ranil Wickremesinghe—while the current Finance Minister, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaks. After the introduction of the open economy, Ronnie de Mel said in his first Budget that the aim was to replace a crippled economy of 20 years with an open one. Today, however, it is unclear what distinguishes this Budget from previous governments’ Budgets. If the Minister had clearly said, “Our principal objective is to continue the IMF-aligned, open economy maintained by Ranil Wickremesinghe for seven years,” that would at least have been honest, rather than the four-hour show we heard.

¶ 03 This Budget repeatedly blames past governments while playing to the gallery. It promised the left but works in a right-liberal way: pledging to farmers, pensioners, and public servants while granting reliefs to a new circle of business allies—as we now see with the plight of potato and big-onion farmers. Frankly, if this Finance Minister presents Budgets for two or three years, the World Bank will craft an award for the most compliant state manager for the President, and the IMF might pin a medal as well. We would not be surprised to see statues erected in Washington for the “best emerging plutocrat leader,” given how every reform long resisted is now being rushed through.

¶ 04 On debt stabilization (Section 2.3 of the 2026 Budget document): by September 2024 (Presidential election month), the Central Government’s unpaid debt was Rs. 28,574.65 billion; by end-June 2025 it had risen to Rs. 29,634.78 billion—an increase of Rs. 1,060 billion in ten months. On foreign reserves: in March 2025 the gross reserve figure was USD 6,531 million; by September 2025 it had fallen to USD 6,244 million, a drop of USD 287 million in six months. If reserves are slipping and debt is rising, one cannot credibly claim “debt stabilization.”

¶ 05 On inflation, we have heard this bravado before—from Basil Rajapaksa and Ajith Nivard Cabraal. The government now walks their path. The same Minister who promised, lifelong, to reduce the cost of living now says in the Budget speech that living costs will be raised to spur growth—a claim not even J.R., Ronnie, or Mangala made so bluntly. This reveals how pro-plutocrat and neoliberal this Budget is.

¶ 06 Thirteen poya days have passed since the President assumed office. The rupee has depreciated by about 5 percent over 12 months; the government’s popularity has dropped by around 50 percent; teachers and principals by 75 percent; and pensioners by around 90 percent in their view. Between 2020 and 2024, retirees faced glaring anomalies: among unskilled workers, pension gaps of about Rs. 25,000; among Ministry Secretaries, around Rs. 90,000; with similar gaps across cadres. Under the previous good-governance administration, those who retired before 2017 had anomalies corrected; but the 2018-based revised pension aligned to the salary structure proposed in the last Budget still has not been granted. Teachers who retired before 2022 suffered markedly under Circular 2/97; they were the ones who took the fight to the streets, and they remain with meagre pensions.

¶ 07 Farmers cultivating potatoes, onions, finger millet, paddy, maize, undu, and sesame have been devastated—99 percent, in effect. Today, big-onion and potato farmers are on the streets because purchases are not being made.

¶ 08 On capital spending and a “productive economy”: in 2025, 85 percent of capital allocations in some ministries remained unspent; no Provincial Council spent even 25 percent of capital funds. Yet the government spent Rs. 42 billion on vehicles—cab fleets. Of 24 ministries, 17 spent over Rs. 42 billion collectively in capital outlays, while key productive sectors lag: Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry (Rs. 6.58 billion), Irrigation and Rural Infrastructure (Rs. 12.8 billion), Industries and Entrepreneurship Development (Rs. 6.8 billion), Digital Economy (Rs. 10.18 billion), and Youth Affairs and Sports (Rs. 6 billion). On sports, we all know of Safiya Yameek, crowned Asia’s fastest woman—she studied at a school where I taught. She advanced because of her parents, dedicated principals Champika Mayadunna, Jayanthi Dissanayake, and especially Nilakshi Hapugoda, and Sports Teacher Mrs. Amarasekara. Without their protection, she would not be at this stage. Likewise, Chathura Jayanissa from Yatawatta, Matale, placed third in javelin at national level. These children need opportunities through the Sports Ministry. We now hear talk of closing sports schools; if the Ministry does not provide pathways, how will these children progress?

¶ 09 On digitalization: we must be clear whether we are digitizing data or digitalizing processes—let the learned community weigh in. On education and training: by 2025, 75 percent of the Education Ministry’s allocation reportedly returned to the Treasury; thus, little development occurred. If we speak of reform, remember: about 80 percent of teachers voted for you; yet their lives have worsened. The 4,101 project’s remaining Rs. 100 million after completion should be used to continue reforms.

¶ 10 Stop vilifying principals wholesale. Not every principal runs a narcotics trade. If you try to impose reforms by force, teachers will be on the streets by January, and children will suffer.

¶ 11 On health, the theme “A healthy people for a developed country by 2065” was cited. If there is a hospital, there must be medicine. On the Friday of the Budget speech there were 312 essential medicines unavailable. Throughout this year, daily shortages averaged at least 280 items. Some drugs were completely absent.

¶ 12 For the Dambulla base hospital upgrades, Rs. 100 million each was allocated to Dambulla and Deniaya; but can such amounts even build a single ward? In 2017, with Minister Rajitha Senaratne and then-Opposition MP Janaka Tennekoon supporting, we moved this forward. On Laggal–Palleagama: since 2018 I struggled to upgrade it to a base hospital considering the terrain and needs; approval came in 2023. I now hear it has been downgraded to “C” grade. As a base hospital it would receive a VOG, a VP, a paediatrician, and a surgeon; now, it seems only a VP is to be posted. Please ensure at least the VP is appointed quickly. If Dambulla’s build proceeds as is, Laggal will be completed by 2048.

¶ 13 Build Asia’s best hospital if you like, but if medicines are unavailable and patients die, gold-plated buildings are pointless.

¶ 14 On estate workers’ living conditions: I question whether this was proposed with proper comprehension. How will Deputy Treasurers and Secretaries endorse measures that could place approving officers at risk? Treasury officers have often recused themselves stating such proposals are irregular.