The Hon. Bhagya Sri Herath, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, people who feared religious extremism, economic collapse, and social unrest were persuaded by the Opposition’s narratives and voted for them. Now those Opposition Members have a responsibility: before criticizing us, they must first explain to those who believed them that what they claimed did not happen, and why. Without that honesty, they have no moral right to critique our Budget or conduct. It is unfair to call us liars without reconciling what was said before with what is proposed now.

¶ 02 Our consistent position—before and after coming to power—is that Sri Lanka needs economic and social transformation. We said at the outset that all must unite and make collective sacrifices to rebuild the nation. On our platforms we stated: support for us is not a ticket to a job. People still joined us. In earlier times, jobs were given by measuring people’s height and girth near trees and rocks. We said coming to us is not a qualification for employment. Our approach emphasizes collective effort and sacrifice because the country has fallen.

¶ 03 Those now talking about the Budget focus narrowly on individual gains such as personal salary advantages. Wage disparities can exist, but trying to socialize selfishness to destroy the social ethos we are building will not work. The very composition of this House shows society does not agree with such a mentality. Our economic program and the Budget are grounded in collective action and sacrifice to lift a long-fallen nation.

¶ 04 An Hon. Member earlier claimed national security is under threat. They do not even understand what national security is. An isolated shooting somewhere is not automatically a national security threat. Usually, a national security threat involves terrorist groups, extremist religious upheaval, foreign intervention, broad social unrest, or a wave of assassinations targeting leaders. Not every incident qualifies as a national security issue. Nevertheless, recent violent incidents—such as a person being murdered inside a court or on a beach—are grave and must be taken seriously. Behind every victim is a mother, a spouse, a sibling. These tragedies occur in a landscape where the economy, education, arts, and literature have been weakened. While not necessarily national security threats, they are serious and require collective, patient rebuilding of the economy and society. Attempting to paint every incident as a national security threat to smear the government will not succeed outside, even if time here allows such claims. Thank you.