The Hon. Mano Ganesan

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I rise to speak on the adjournment motion moved by my friend, the Jaffna District MP and ITAK Parliamentary Group Leader, Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan.

¶ 02 His speech reflected the anger, pain, grief, hardship, tears, and aspirations of our Tamil brothers and sisters in the North and East. Though he began in passion, he concluded with a clear message to the Government benches—that as friends and partners in one country, we can move forward together. I trust the Government will grasp that message. The Prime Minister Hon. Harini Amarasuriya is here; the Leader of the House, Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, and my friend Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar, among others, are present.

¶ 03 As Leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), I add a few points that are already embedded in this motion. First, this country is not merely Sinhala-Buddhist. It is Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim; Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, and Catholic; with Sinhala, Tamil, and even English recognized and used in our Constitution. If we embrace all languages, religions, and communities, a shared Sri Lankanness—ilaṅkikatvaya—will be affirmed. We can argue politically, but only by acting together as Sri Lankans can we build the country. I believe the context now exists.

¶ 04 Many of Hon. Shritharan’s allegations pertain to past governments. I do not wish to dump all blame on you. Yet, responsibilities fall on you now. Start credible steps and give us confidence. There is no credible activity so far. It will be one year next month since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office, and I still do not see credible activity.

¶ 05 Therefore: - Announce and conduct the long-overdue Provincial Council elections immediately. It is not a full solution to the ethnic question, but begin. - Commence the promised constitutional reform talks. - Implement the good recommendations of the LLRC report. I urge three immediate actions: hold Provincial Council elections; start the new Constitution-making process; and implement LLRC recommendations. These alone are not the final word, but they will be a powerful start and earn you credibility.

¶ 06 As TPA Leader, I focus on the estates. On individual house title, residential land title, and land rights for plantation people, we undertook many efforts in 2015–2019—the only four years we were in government. We created new Divisional Secretariats and Pradeshiya Sabhas in the estates; secured land titles; negotiated with India for a 10,000-house program and individual homeownership; empowered plantation schools to acquire up to two acres; and amended the Pradeshiya Sabha Act to allow funding to estates via local authorities. We are a progressive group—do not lump us with reactionaries. If you work well, adopt our ideas and act.

¶ 07 I am glad the Hon. Prime Minister and the Education Minister are here. Since 1977 our estate schools entered the national school system as latecomers; therefore, we need affirmative action. Globally, affirmative action is the accepted policy to uplift the most marginalized. I heard adviser Mr. Shivapprakasham on TV say, “We cannot focus only on plantation schools; we must focus on all schools.” That is wrong. The world prioritizes the most disadvantaged—just as a family gives extra nutrition and care to an undernourished child. Likewise, plantation Tamils need affirmative action and attention. Please give them more attention—they are the most underprivileged and joined late into the national mainstream. The last component of their civic rights came only in 2003, and estate schools integrated in 1977. Even Kannangara, the “Father of Free Education,” did not fairly include our people. Similarly, ensure proper attention to other underdeveloped communities, including the Veddah people in the South.

¶ 08 When you were only 1% in 2023, you issued the Hatton Declaration on 15 October 2023 addressing land title, house title, public employment, education, women’s discrimination, and more. Good words—but none of it has been implemented in this past year. I know you cannot do everything in 11–12 months, but we need to see commencement. Start, so we can believe.

¶ 09 On estate demographics: out of 1.5 million hill-country people, only about 150,000 are workers; the rest are estate residents. Include them too—for land and house titles. We began that. There were complaints of corruption and errors in housing implementation. Note: under our agreement with India, the Government of India’s Operations Manual governed beneficiary selection, implementing agencies, contractor selection, and tender awards. Those responsibilities lay with the Indian side, not us. If there were mistakes, ask the Indian Government—ask PM Narendra Modi, President Anura’s friend. But do not use this to justify your delays. Do the right things.

¶ 10 Hon. Samantha Vidyaratna recently promised in this House to complete 5,000 individual houses before 31 December this year. I expect he will—India is providing the financing; currently the estimate is LKR 2.8 million per house. The Sri Lankan Government’s role is to provide the land. On lands, plantation companies often obstruct both the Government and us. For our people this is not a 76-year curse but a 200-year curse. We have made a start—please take it forward, beyond party politics and elections.

¶ 11 On health in Nuwara Eliya: Maskeila Divisional Hospital (147 beds) and Dickoya–Glencairn Hospital (250 beds) should be consolidated under one structure. Strengthen Maskeila, which has beds, doctors’ quarters, and an eye theatre. Please merge and rationalize the two to function effectively.

¶ 12 Finally, a serious concern: do not dismantle the New Villages Development Authority for Plantation Region established by Act No. 32 of 2018. We worked hard to establish it. I understand there is a move—by a committee under the Prime Minister, on the President’s instruction—to abolish it and place its functions as a division under the Ministry of Plantations and Community Infrastructure. Ministries can be created or dissolved at a President’s discretion, but you cannot abolish a statutory authority by administrative decision. Keep the Authority intact. The Cabinet paper that suggests shifting its functions under a ministry is wrong. There are many development authorities—for the South, for the Central Highlands. This is the only one grounded in the plantation people. Do not abolish it. If the President is listening, we will meet him and explain. We fought with then-PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to establish this—do not now end it.

¶ 13 If Government MPs representing the estates lead the effort to abolish it, it will be unjust. The plantation people will curse; history will not forgive. Please protect the Authority, do not reduce it to a ministry unit. With that request, I conclude. Thank you.