The Hon. R.M. Jayawardhana - Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security

¶ 01 Mr. Presiding Member, this Adjournment Motion has been brought to discuss the current situation after the disaster caused by the “8960” cyclone. I am pleased to present some views.

¶ 02 This cyclone did not affect only our country; many countries worldwide faced similar events recently. The way those countries and our own citizens and government faced the disaster has been well discussed. The Opposition Leader said this morning that we spoke of unity. A renowned world leader stated that a poor, economically strained country like Sri Lanka facing such a severe cyclone as we did is something even wealthier nations would struggle to do. I ask the Opposition Leader to verify that statement.

¶ 03 In Moneragala District, though damage was not as heavy as elsewhere, 38 houses were fully destroyed, 542 partially damaged, and four lives lost, with many other properties affected. Many rivers—Galg Oya on one side, and Heda Oya, Kubukkan Oya, the Manik Ganga, Kuda Oya, and Kirindi Oya—overflowed, causing damage. The Opposition says we were unprepared. Let’s see how the Met Department handled the “BOO” cyclone. Sri Lanka is in the Bay of Bengal region; November is a period of cyclonic development both there and in the Arabian Sea. The Met Department was attentive, engaging with leading global institutions and monitoring changes. Warnings are issued that a low may develop into a cyclone, but conditions can change rapidly. In November, advisories were issued on at least three occasions. Some in the Opposition claimed it was “a big upset on the 12th,” then said what came on the 12th ended by the 16th, and the 16th by the 23rd. In this region, cyclones can start and then change quickly. Within 12 hours, “Ditva” changed dramatically. If conditions can change so fast, what exactly should be done differently? On the 26th, rains began. By that evening, around 6.00 p.m., I had spoken with the District Secretary; by 9.00 a.m. on the 27th, we held a meeting with district officials. By then, floods were rising, canals overflowing, rivers bursting banks, and homes inundated. When we convened our district committee on the 27th, the President also convened a committee in Parliament that day. Even so, we managed to minimize disaster impacts in our district through the combined efforts of the District Secretary, Divisional Secretaries, Grama Niladharis, other state institutions, police, and the military.

¶ 04 Therefore, I ask the General Secretary of the SJB, who represents the Opposition—where were you in the district? During the Budget Debate we discussed this for two days. The Opposition MP from Moneragala came here and made big claims; he knows nothing beyond Buttala. He had no understanding of even one-tenth of what we did in the district, and he attended none of the committees or discussions. The MP who moved this motion is the same. We sent messages and letters asking them to participate—but they did not. Instead, they come here and talk like this.

¶ 05 We are delivering services to those affected by the “Ditva” cyclone. Some MPs said strange things—one “prince” aiming for 2029 claimed we failed to manage the disaster and did nothing. We should remind him: in 2004, the tsunami submerged coastal areas, and there was no ready plan then; as an Opposition party at that time, we did not merely criticize but worked on the ground for three months. In 2003, there were also floods—Ratnapura, Kalutara, Galle, and Matara went under after 48 hours of rain. When the rains stopped, waters receded, but still we mobilized 5,000 people in a day to help victims. We did not stick labels on bananas or on rice parcels and post it on Facebook. In 2016, during floods we also helped despite being in Opposition.

¶ 06 As for the recent relief, we told those who collected goods clearly where to deliver them. We are not telling lies. Some can distribute goods and post on Facebook; we saw this in Negombo. We have the strength to carry out duties amid disaster, and we did. In our district, all payments—Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 50,000—have been made 100%. The Rs. 15,000 for schoolchildren has also been fully paid. Thank you for the time.