The Hon. Jeevan Thondaman

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, first, I apologize for arriving late. From 2 December I have been engaged in relief work and was in Kotmale last night. Kotmale is where I grew up; what I saw—my childhood village buried under earth—was heartbreaking. I left around 2.00 a.m., hence my delay.

¶ 02 I make a request regarding Kotmale. The AGA there is not properly looking after people. The Karagasthalawa hamuduruwo has truly been a symbol of humanity, providing food and all assistance to everyone. I thank him through this House.

¶ 03 Meanwhile, 200 families at Nuwara Eliya Gamini Vidyalaya are still sleeping in classroom 1216. They lack proper food, shelter facilities, and electricity. I understand the Government has many hardships, but I request immediate action.

¶ 04 Over the past days, we visited areas like Agarapathana, Dayagama, and Kandapola under the Nuwara Eliya Pradeshiya Sabha, and we provided relief to the extent possible. The Agriculture Department has met affected farmers and, we expect, will assist them.

¶ 05 I thank the Sri Lanka–India Society and many good-hearted people. Though I am in the Opposition, above all I am a Sri Lankan. Beyond ruling party, opposition, and ministers, we collected Rs. 4.7 million and provided nearly 1,000 relief packs. I will submit the relevant accounts to Parliament soon.

¶ 06 At this point, I will not comment on plantation workers’ wages due to time, but you all know why I initially opposed the wage proposal: why should profitable plantation companies be incentivized with Rs. 5 billion in tax money by paying Rs. 200 per kilogram? That said, we are not against wage increases.

¶ 07 The Hon. President did not create this cyclone or floods; the Government faces a very big challenge. We will not politicize; we have cooperated to the maximum and will continue. I am unsure how feasible the presented Budget is; last night, seeing the scale of damage in Kotmale alone, I realized the enormous challenge for the President and Government. Even if we all help as much as we can, in Kotmale people are asking for housing schemes. The damage is not confined to the hill country, but there you have an opportunity. As a representative of the hill country in the Opposition, I say: you cannot build houses for everyone; it is not possible. A single house now costs Rs. 2–3 million; for 150,000 families, it is not feasible. But you can grant land titles. The barrier is the plantation companies, not you or us. Senior politician Hon. Mano Ganesan is here; he too will fully support a land title programme. This is your one chance to grant land titles.

¶ 08 The press says 2,691 families are affected in Nuwara Eliya, but the number is higher; time will tell. We must give the Government time. Everywhere I went, I urged patience and humanity. Puttalam and Gampaha are badly affected; the hill country is affected. I told people we will be patient, because we must support you to support them.

¶ 09 Finally, at this moment we must work beyond politics. Whatever our political views or problems, whether here or abroad, Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim—this cyclone and flood knew no race, religion, or language. As Sri Lankans, we must support the President and Government in this vote to find a path for the people. As General Secretary of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress, I will fully support the President and Government. As I said, I do not know if this Budget is feasible, but you have a great responsibility; we will fully support you.

¶ 10 Sir, one last matter in English: it is not the President who caused the cyclone or the floods. The Government has a very big challenge. Kotmale, where I grew up, is devastated. I hope Parliament supports this Budget not because it is financially feasible but because we need to stand together as a country. We stand with the Government now; please just get us out of this mess. Thank you.