The Hon. Mujibur Rahuman

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Heads of Health and Mass Media.

¶ 02 Many have spoken about the health sector. The Minister himself appealed in London for doctors to return to work in Sri Lanka. There are around 2,000 specialist doctors currently in the country. I propose increasing the retirement age for specialists from 63 to at least 65. In many Western countries specialists work up to 65–68. Presently, many Sri Lankan specialists retire at 63 and go to Singapore or Malaysia to continue. Given current shortages, increasing the age to 65 would be a practical interim measure. Earlier, the age was 60 and changed to 63 following legal action by doctors.

¶ 03 Next, in Budget 2025, overtime and holiday allowances in the health service were cut. Your circular 10/2025 states under 5.3 that when the Treasury situation improves, one-fifth of cut overtime and one-third of cut holiday allowances will be restored. The Treasury is now flush. Please restore them to health workers.

¶ 04 On media, I must raise an issue. When someone is murdered, the Police Media Spokesperson often says the victim had links to the underworld, and media repeat it. Recently, a restaurant cashier was murdered; immediately it was said she was a relative of an underworld figure. This is deeply unfair and normalizes the murder, stigmatizing the victim’s family and children. This is not a media culture seen elsewhere, even in countries like Colombia with serious organized crime. I myself experienced similar stigma after the Easter attacks, when baseless allegations forced my child to change schools. We must end “voice-cut journalism” that spreads such narratives without responsibility.

¶ 05 A clear example is Attorney Hejaaz Hizbullah under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa—portrayed as a mastermind and detained for about a year for political reasons; now the case cannot proceed, and even State Counsel sometimes fail to appear. CID knows the case is baseless. Who is accountable for the harm to him and his family? This could happen to any of us. Therefore, reform media practices and Police communications to ensure fairness and responsibility.