The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake

¶ 01 There is a time for politics. Now, look at “Clean Sri Lanka.” After spending money, beating drums, putting up fancy huts at the Presidential Secretariat, now it’s “Rebuilding Sri Lanka.” Whatever you call it, unless you rebuild people’s homes, bridges, and roads, nothing else matters.

¶ 02 If we don’t restore these, tourism will collapse, and we will keep importing rice. Someone benefits—who? That person there—imports rice and onions—he gains while our paddy fields in Mahiyanganaya, Polonnaruwa, Ampara, Batticaloa are ruined. Landslides with cubic meters of debris block roads for 50 days; these are serious.

¶ 03 Now, to go to Lunugala, one must detour via Rideemaliyadda and Bibile—hundreds of kilometers. To reach Passara, I had to go via Ella, Wellawaya, Buttala, Badalkumbura—over 100 km.

¶ 04 If you cannot walk, take helicopters; I’m stating facts. For six days, I have visited every place.

¶ 05 Madam Presiding Member, my time is over? Give me a minute.

¶ 06 At Silmiyaapura Muslim village, families live in a single cluster; if one leaves, all are at risk. We must act now; if we do not take charge, this disaster will be worse than COVID. Remember 1983 riots under JR, the insurrections, tsunami under Chandrika, war under Mahinda, Easter under Maithripala, COVID under Gotabaya; now under Anura Kumara’s government we face floods and landslides—leadership always faces trials. But the Highways Minister must don a jumper—he must go; many died due to failures. I conclude.