The Hon. Arjuna Sujeewa Senasinghe, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Thank you, Madam Presiding Member.

¶ 02 I intended to avoid negativity, but I must respond to certain ministerial claims. Several ministers said there was no proper advance warning, only via “one channel.” The Director-General of Meteorology clearly stated the possibility of a cyclonic disturbance. The BBC reported days earlier of potential rainfall of 400–600 mm, with storms and flooding, from November 12 onward. Yet the President and Government provided no proactive plan. Nearing November 23–26, no proper measures were taken.

¶ 03 International media headlines—The Times of India: “Sri Lanka cyclone tragedy exposes government failures”; Al Jazeera: “Public anger mounts over Sri Lanka’s flood disaster response”—highlighted slow response. On November 28 the Government declared leave for state institutions; but declaring the Emergency promptly when urged by the Opposition was delayed. By the 27th evening, vast regions were already inundated; Upland districts devastated.

¶ 04 Even after leave was declared, state machinery did not effectively mobilize; over three days, in places like Kandy, even police officers were not visible, according to doctors there. Natural disasters cannot be stopped, but people must be alerted and water releases managed—these were not done in time. It appears the President only “woke up” on the 27th; his subsequent statement was too late as flooding worsened elsewhere. Colombo floods with 120 mm; here 200–400 mm were widely forecast by credible agencies and our own DG—yet action lagged. A properly convened National Disaster Management Coordination Committee, taking decisions and directing responses, could have minimized damage.

¶ 05 Let me move to solutions. We must next recover the deceased respectfully; allocate lands by parliamentary sanction; most survivors have only the clothes on them—provide beds, chairs, clothing, books. Businesses are ruined; the national loss is likely over USD 7 billion. With USD 2 million pledged by the US, even USD 10–15 million is a drop—billions more are needed.

¶ 06 The Government shows inexperience and ignores opposition suggestions. They seem keen to proceed in a JVP style without inclusive coordination. That won’t work. Bring everyone—across parties and experts—into a unified command to support people, businesses, and agriculture. Fields are silted and sanded; many farmlands cannot be cultivated for years. Without proper management and coordination now, the economy will crash; growth could fall back to 1–2%.

¶ 07 We urge the international community to consider debt relief—if you could, cut off Sri Lanka’s external debt—to help us recover. Using our strength and courage, beyond politics, united, we can rise. If we don’t unite, the country could face collapse from this very disaster. The President disregards what the Opposition and others say. We appeal to all ministers, the President, and everyone: bring together the international community and all domestic stakeholders, including the Opposition, to act. We stand ready to support. On Emergency: use it to save people, not to intimidate the public or the Opposition, or punish media. Media broadly warned the public; value that, don’t attack them. Had we heeded, we might have saved 80% of losses. We are ready to give maximum cooperation as a nation. Thank you.