Hon. (Mrs.) Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, I am pleased to speak after the Hon. Leader of the Opposition in this debate on the Health and Mass Media expenditure heads. The Hon. Leader habitually compares Sri Lanka with developed and developing countries and tabled documents whose source he personally certified. I recall at a rally in Bandaragama, Kalutara, he said a “Mālimāwa” government would close shops and stop the Dalada Perahera. The public can verify via today’s developed media what was actually said. While he raised issues of poverty, we came to office precisely because past governments exploited poverty for votes rather than solving it. We recognize poverty as a real problem and address it through our five-year program in this second budget with short-, medium-, and long-term measures.

¶ 02 On media: a healthy democracy requires free, independent, and impartial media. Our goal is a quality public service media that meets public needs, amplifies the people’s voice, and guides society amidst global changes. We must combat disinformation and provide accurate, sourced information—achievable through non-profit-oriented public service media. We promote media that tolerates democratic pluralism and fair criticism, leading society into meaningful discourse.

¶ 03 Ghana’s Supreme Court has defined state media as a national asset belonging to all citizens, not the government of the day or a party; using it for partisan advantage undermines democracy. We have ended arbitrary government control of media institutions and aim to run state media as true public service institutions, using public funds prudently.

¶ 04 Journalists play a crucial role with pen, camera, and microphone in national development. With digital tools, many youths can enter the field easily; we will equip aspiring journalists with knowledge, experience, and skills, including communications policy and standards, via organized regional and district-level programs for students and teachers.

¶ 05 On the Government Printing Department: as the official state printer handling sensitive work, it faces challenges recovering dues for credit-based work. We will modernize production with new technology and strengthen human resources.

¶ 06 For the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, we will modernize studios, digitize, and fiber-network facilities to produce better content by centralizing human and physical resources.

¶ 07 For the national television (SLRC), we will fund the preservation of archival video heritage for future generations, upgrade facilities, and provide journalist ID cards and scholarships—believing good inputs yield good outcomes. We stand ready to support the thousands of journalists; a strong media sector will help the nation move forward. We invite all media professionals to join our program.

¶ 08 Thank you.