The Hon. G. G. Ponnambalam

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, we meet after a cyclone and torrential rains that have affected this island severely, perhaps the worst since the tsunami. We salute all who worked hard to rescue and assist the affected.

¶ 02 In such disasters, a government’s responsibility is to minimize impact as far as possible; full protection is impossible. There were warnings weeks in advance. Why were appropriate measures not taken? This is not mere criticism; with large loss of life, an in‑depth inquiry is necessary.

¶ 03 Members from the North and East speak with experience, beyond the tsunami—through wartime humanitarian crises where we learned to reduce harm. Comparing regions, although the North had relatively less impact overall, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mannar, and Mullaitivu suffered significantly. Yet Government conduct in that period drew criticism: priority meetings were held in Jaffna—a less‑affected district—while other districts saw no such meetings. Under Minister Ramalingam Chandraseker as Jaffna DCC Chair, and with the Governor’s initiative, attempts were made to bring other districts into a coordinated forum; that effort faltered due to resistance from central authorities. I participated; those who raised concerns on behalf of Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu were not from our party nor the TNA, but government side members and officials. They were rebuffed; the meeting was curtailed. It shows there was no will to coordinate the Northern Province as a whole.

¶ 04 Another concern: Jaffna reportedly listed 14,459 affected houses, seeking LKR 25,000 each—totalling LKR 361,475,000. In Neduntheevu, the 2024 recorded affected houses were 893; now 1,216 are claimed. LKR 30.4 million is allocated accordingly. I do not say the money should not go to the truly affected. It must. But corruption must not seep into funds for victims. We ask for transparency: urgently publish the household‑level lists via each Divisional Secretariat because payments are to commence on Monday. Money going to the unaffected while the affected are left out is unacceptable. We have information that the NPP has interfered in filling these lists. To ensure the integrity of your Government, please publish all details immediately.

¶ 05 Lastly, we will call for a vote at the Third Reading to register our opposition to the disproportionate allocations for defence versus the inadequate allocations for the North and East.