The Hon. Manoj Rajapaksha

¶ 01 Madam Presiding Member, after five years of halted vehicle imports, from February 1, 2025, imports resumed. With rapid technological change in vehicles, categorization and HS coding needed updating to avoid penal “Other” duties on new technologies. This Resolution under the Customs Ordinance addresses precisely that—introducing new HS codes to give maximum feasible relief to ordinary people aspiring to buy vehicles.

¶ 02 Some tried to propagate that this government cannot reopen imports and that the economy will collapse. Those claims have been proven false; people are now actively importing. Addressing the technical gaps has required debate and decisions such as these.

¶ 03 Strength of an economy is reflected when people are willing to import vehicles; previously, people could not even keep small shops running. While COVID-19 affected the world, Sri Lanka’s collapse was far deeper due to decades of short-sighted governance. We must now rebuild production, ensure benefits reach the people, enforce rule of law, minimize waste, and eliminate corruption and fraud—so resources strengthen the economy.

¶ 04 Business confidence has returned; planning and forecasting for the next year is now possible. Exports are up; the rupee has stabilized; the dollar is below Rs. 300; foreign investment and remittances are rising; employment opportunities are expanding; and people are paying taxes because they see proper utilization.

¶ 05 In construction, many projects stalled earlier are restarting. In Kegalle District, the Warakapola town causes severe congestion on the A1 (Colombo–Kandy). The Warakapola bypass project stalled but will now be completed by 2026 to ease traffic. In Thulhiriya—an area with many industries and high population density—about 25,000 families lacked proper drinking water and sanitation due to halted projects; those are now being resumed.

¶ 06 As the economy strengthens and public confidence grows, the Opposition will speak against us. We will proceed with our plans and targets. We have a program and will govern to accomplish it. Thank you.