The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, this is the 80th Budget. Are you satisfied with the progress of proposals from the 79th? Even your own economists had to point out a fiscal overhang in the Treasury—Hon. Harsha de Silva said it first, then your side acknowledged it. Some governments show a full Treasury and then steal; you criticized that. Today’s “modern” method is to fill the Treasury and siphon it off under the veneer of reform.

¶ 02 To Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa, whom I respect: yesterday you commemorated fallen comrades of 1987–89. If you truly honor them, table the recent Indo–Lanka agreements your government has signed. You once opposed devolution, provincial councils, oil tanks, ports—now tell us what is being offered. Otherwise, stop weaponizing the past.

¶ 03 You allocate Rs. 10 billion to MCC-related work now, after years of fearmongering that MCC would steal our lands. Why fund those very structures you demonized? For decades you blocked investments and development; today you quietly adopt what you once opposed. At least admit: “We opposed it then; we accept it now.”

¶ 04 You claimed you would catch thieves. Yet when I asked the Prime Minister in August 2025 about the bond issue, sugar tax scam, and palm oil taxes, the reply recorded in Hansard was that there was no scam and no loss. If so, who carries the “76-year curse” now? You built your politics on these accusations; your own government now denies them.

¶ 05 About the seized drug containers and other containers reportedly released—who was the political figure responsible? There are still hundreds of released containers—what was inside? Gold? Weapons? If you are serious about anti-corruption, act first against those nearest you who enabled such releases; removals from portfolios alone do not cleanse wrongdoing.

¶ 06 On VAT: you lowered the registration threshold to Rs. 36 million per year. That drags street-corner shops into VAT, turning it into a cascading tax borne by consumers. Prices of essentials will rise. Do not spin 365 days of fiction; people will feel it daily.

¶ 07 On the digital ID, you once shouted that RAW would steal our data, now you say it must be done. Fine—do it lawfully and transparently. The real curse documented in this Budget is that you are now implementing what you blocked for 10–15 years—after stalling the nation.

¶ 08 On the Rs. 200 allowance for estate workers: we do not oppose giving it. We insist it be disbursed lawfully, with proper verification so workers are not cheated; if anything, increase it to Rs. 500.

¶ 09 On vehicle procurement: you claim prices will fall next year but rush tenders now, creating room for overpricing and commissions. We have seen this playbook before. Do not repeat the “ten percent” era under a new brand.

¶ 10 You said you would ride buses and not take SUVs; now you buy fleets. We are not against fair tools for backbench MPs to serve their constituencies—but be honest; do not preach one thing and practice another. Thank you.