The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, we are also debating the Bill to repeal the Foreign Loans Act, No. 29 of 1957 — essentially, the country’s foreign debt management framework. When such a Bill is before Parliament, we ask: details on foreign debt, the IMF programme, bilateral creditors, international sovereign bondholders, total sums due, schedules, annual amounts, and the conditions agreed — including economic targets to be met by 2028 under the Extended Fund Facility. Are electricity tariff hikes a condition tied to EFF reviews?

¶ 02 We asked many such questions. Yet today — a day set aside to discuss foreign debt — the Deputy Minister representing the Ministry of Finance seeks time to respond. Why is this happening?

¶ 03 I have here the current President’s Budget Speech of 17.02.2025. A Budget Speech must be prepared answering such questions. Either the answers were known when making the Budget, or they do not know now, or they have no grasp of the present crisis.

¶ 04 We said at the Presidential Election that although they promised a 33% tariff reduction — Rs. 9,000 bill to Rs. 6,000; Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 2,000 — they would in fact increase tariffs. That is exactly what happened. Now the Government proposes an 18% increase. On that basis, we ask: will water tariffs also increase? The Minister today stated water tariffs will not be raised; we ask him to stand by that statement hereafter.

¶ 05 More fundamentally, I remind the Government of its policy document, “A Prosperous Country — A Beautiful Life,” page 105, promising a new Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) — an alternative DSA to be used in debt review — as an election pledge. This pledge has been completely broken. With a new DSA, you could have negotiated to temper conditionalities and reduce the burden on the people. Instead, you chose the easy path: implement the existing IMF agreement and the creditor terms as-is. Admit that the 18% electricity hike is due to IMF conditions — conditions you accepted by violating your own policy platform.

¶ 06 We offer a proposal: in implementing reforms, collect from those who can pay. Meal prices for MPs have been increased — we accept that. But for 786 non-executive Parliamentary staff, meal charges have been raised from Rs. 1,000 to as much as Rs. 3,600. That is unfair. For executive-grade staff, from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 4,000, a Rs. 2,500 increase — but I speak specifically for the non-executive cadre. Do not burden the lowest-paid staff of this very Parliament. Impose burdens where they belong, not on the smallest employees.

¶ 07 Again, we are debating foreign debt, but the Government cannot answer — due to lack of data, ignorance, lack of planning, lack of access, or because they said anything to gain power and are now trapped by their promises. We regret that a Government that misled 22 million is in this state.

¶ 08 Finally, we welcome the decision to regularize 4,500 Multi-Task staff; we thank you. But do not forget nearly 1,000 volunteer nature guides in the wildlife and eco-tourism sector who have supported the industry for over 15 years, paid a mere Rs. 1,000 per day — a pittance. While regularizing 4,500 Multi-Task Officers, please also regularize these approximately 1,000 volunteer guides who convey to foreign tourists information about our eco-sites, biodiversity and wildlife.

¶ 09 Thank you.