The Hon. Gayan Janaka

¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, Opposition MPs Nalin and J. C. Alawathuwala said buying a car is now just a dream. Let me remind them: vehicle imports reopened in 2024/2025 after being halted since 2019 for five years—by their government. They bankrupted the country to such a degree that even toy cars could not be imported. After five years, it is this new government that has enabled people to buy vehicles again.

¶ 02 As of 19 August, we have opened LCs amounting to US$1,378 million. Those who couldn’t import even toy cars for five years now question us daily. The difference is clear.

¶ 03 Today is 21 August. It’s been precisely 11 months since the President took office. We inherited a shattered economy. Within 11 months, we stabilized the foundation, instilling new hope. The IMF, World Bank and international outlets like Bloomberg have commended the trajectory, noting Sri Lanka could regain 2018 levels by next year. Local academics have also positively assessed the recovery. In contrast, the Opposition remains habitually cynical.

¶ 04 Why the praise? Because we are rebuilding the economy firmly and rapidly. In the first half of 2025, we have exceeded revenue targets—something unseen before—while keeping expenditure growth to 11 percent. Total revenue in the first two quarters was Rs. 2,325 billion against a full-year target of Rs. 4,990 billion. We reduced the budget deficit by 32.3 percent in six months.

¶ 05 From January–May 2025: port operating profits rose by Rs. 24,418 million (+66% YoY); FDI reached US$507 million (+101% YoY); tourism revenue US$1.7 billion (+10%); worker remittances US$3.7 billion (+18%); exports US$8.3 billion (+6.7%); foreign reserves US$6.1 billion (+7% expected increase); domestic investment is up 18%.

¶ 06 We invite the public to place trust in this leadership and its economic program. Thank you.