The Hon. Jagath Manuwarna

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, people are not yet living comfortably. We have governed for about 50 days; real recovery cannot happen in 50 days. We will not turn people’s poverty into political spectacle. Stop using poverty for political theatrics—handing out a few kilos of rice or cement during campaigns.

¶ 02 Some TV channels are sensationalizing rice, coconut, and egg issues to suggest catastrophe. We ask such channels to stop misleading the public. The same outlets that once spread divisive fabrications—like the Kelani River “cobra” stories, insinuations about Muslim attire, and the defamation of Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen—should reflect. Though he has been exonerated by courts, who pays for the psychological trauma to him and his children? Those who fueled Sinhala–Muslim division must account.

¶ 03 On Clean Sri Lanka, police enforcing motor traffic laws is not the project itself; it has a much broader scope. We negotiated with bus operators to avoid strikes and granted a three-month grace period to regularize vehicles and remove unlawful fittings.

¶ 04 We respect the police and ask them to act calmly under media glare; avoid “Operation Justice” theatrics due to overzealousness. This crisis was not created by us; it is the product of decades. Give us time. You cannot fell the “kapruka” in 50 days; be patient and engage constructively. Thank you.