The Hon. Fasmin Sharif

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member. Since 1974, among natural disasters, the “Ditva” cyclone severely affected Kandy District, especially Gampola. Though Gampola had shown strong economic progress, it suffered heavily and faced ruin. Yet, with the help of all communities across Sri Lanka—Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, and others, as well as religious institutions and NGOs—Gampola has risen again. We owe our gratitude to all who helped. Jazak Allahu Khair!

¶ 02 A Gampola MP alleged here that we did nothing in Gampola. We have responded politically in many forums and in previous sessions. Some YouTubers—paid by the Opposition—leveled accusations against me and Hon. Muhammad Faisal; those allegations are false. I have thanked and continue to thank all who helped, both here and outside.

¶ 03 I must also address another issue. Yesterday, an MP used an obscenity here to spread a wrong impression about the Tamil Pongal offerings to God—crudely claiming what Tamils gave the President. I cannot repeat that word here. I must say, Tamils hold our President in respect. When he attended the Pongal celebrations in Jaffna, thousands participated, eager to take photos with him. In contrast, when the Opposition Leader came to Gampola, how many lined up for photos? In the end, he took a selfie himself; when invited to a place he said he felt nauseous and dizzy and turned back.

¶ 04 Hon. Chamindranee Kiriella also gave wrong information about Kandy today—claiming only 60% payments were made. In fact, as I know, 98% of Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 25,000 payments have already been made. She also spoke about Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe—saying son is Deputy Minister and father a Cabinet Minister. She speaks without knowing facts. She says she was elected on people’s votes—true—but I will note that many of the 159 of us here received thousands more votes than she did.

¶ 05 Another Gampola MP spoke mostly about Ambuluwawa rather than the people. He said we cannot earn even a single dollar from Ambuluwawa. We will definitely take it under the State and invest its revenue for the people; we will bring in many times more dollars by developing Ambuluwawa. He said there was no damage from Ambuluwawa, but 20–25 houses at the foot of the hill now have to be moved—what does he say to that?

¶ 06 About Gampola town, we have already cleared about 90% of the accumulated waste; about 10% remains, including some drain silt. I spoke today with the District Commissioner as well. The Mayor of Udapalatha worked with us; we thank him. The Chairman of the Upper Province PS closed the PS for five days—there’s talk and an inquiry regarding that—but now work is proceeding. In two local bodies under SJB control, we nevertheless helped them substantially; the Mayor thanked us.

¶ 07 It is wrong to say the government did nothing. We gave Rs. 25,000 to repair houses and Rs. 50,000 to purchase essential household items. We gave payments even for lost goats and chickens. For businesses we are arranging Rs. 200,000 each. Rs. 500,000 will be given for fully destroyed houses, and Rs. 50,000 for partially damaged houses. We did not look at party colors; we acted for the people. Do not bring wrong data here citing some officer’s claims. MPs must speak responsibly, not parade as heroes while misleading the public.