The Hon. M.A.M. Thahir

¶ 01 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, I am pleased to join the Second Reading debate on the Government’s second Budget. The Hon. President, after consulting subject experts, has presented the 2026 Budget for development. He has allocated Rs. 300 million to renovate a roughly 27-year-old building in our area. We had discussed this with him; our party leader, Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, requested it. We obtained initial approvals at the Nintavur DDC meeting, submitted it to the Ampara District Coordinating Committee, and progressed it to national budgeting. I thank Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, the Ampara District Secretary Chinthaka Abeywickrama, Planning Director Mr. Muneasir, Accountant Mr. Paris, Engineer Mr. Zahir, and the Nintavur Pradeshiya Sabha officials for their support, and our people who prayed for its completion.

¶ 03 By way of history: In the 1988 Presidential Election, when R. Premadasa was a candidate, he sought support from our late leader M.H.M. Ashraff. At that time, a party needed 12.5% of valid votes in a district to win a seat; Ashraff asked that the cutoff be reduced to 5% for fair Muslim representation. That reduction is what exists today. When we met the Hon. President, we reminded him that late Ashraff, who helped him ascend to the Presidency through that reform, had initiated construction of this building in 1997, yet it remains incomplete. If the cutoff had not been reduced to 5%, the opportunity to secure today’s 159 seats and the Presidency might not have arisen. The President pledged to do what is possible. I also thank Hon. Aboobacker Adhampawa, the Coastal District Coordinator for Ampara and DCC Chairman Hon. Wasantha Piyathissa, and the Eastern Province Governor Mr. Jayasundara, who pledged Rs. 10 million annually for this at a meeting in Ampara.

¶ 04 Some criticize: can such projects be done from the Opposition? We do not come here to enjoy perks, but to bring people’s issues to this platform. A vibrant Opposition births a strong democracy. You were once three MPs who held the Government accountable, which earned you 159 seats. We also act to point out wrongs and needs.

¶ 05 People ask whether we will support the Budget because of the Rs. 300 million allocation. We have many questions. In 2025’s appropriations, we said allocations to minority areas — Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee — were inadequate. The Government said Indian aid would develop our areas. The year is ending, yet no such funds have reached us.

¶ 06 Due to the Oluvil Port construction, over 120 hectares were lost to coastal erosion; people lost coconut groves and paddy fields; two sectoral jetties — commercial and fisheries — remain closed. Even if you cannot yet restore the commercial jetty, why is there no allocation to revive the fisheries jetty? Over 5,000 fishers directly and 15,000 people indirectly are affected. No compensation has been paid to landowners affected by erosion. The Government must act.

¶ 07 Kalmunai, a predominantly trading area, has an 80-year-old public market with a 50-year-old complex built by late A.R. Mansoor, now unsafe for 10,000 daily users; it risks collapse. Kalmunai evolved from a town council to an urban council to a municipal council, yet still operates from the same old and rented buildings. MPs of that region have neglected this. In the Ampara coastal belt, over 85,000 Tamil and Muslim voters supported you; your party won four MPs with 65,000 votes at the Ampara district level, yet from our area you have only appointed a National List MP. In this situation, must we support this Budget?

¶ 08 Hon. Member, please conclude.

¶ 09 I was allotted 14 minutes; please grant two more.

¶ 10 On permits: The Hon. President invites Sri Lankan scholars abroad to return, but what benefits are provided to those learned who remain here? Permits due since 2019 have not been issued. Professors lack facilities; even public transport is inadequate; one must change clothes after a bus ride before going to office. How can we support the Budget in such conditions?

¶ 11 Hon. Member, your time is over.

¶ 12 Please grant one minute. You said electricity, water, and fuel prices would be reduced — nothing has happened. We cannot support the Budget only for a single allocation. As late Ashraff said: among politicians who promise “golden shoes, if only you lend your feet,” we cannot lose our dignity. We cannot trade our honor for Rs. 300 million.