Hon. (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi – Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the time during the Second Reading debate on our Government’s first Budget.

¶ 02 Before numbers, I wish to note something crucial: the vision underlying this exemplary Budget presented by the Minister of Finance, our President. Amidst the noise, it is easy to forget to highlight the Budget’s philosophy: the central intent is to uplift Sri Lankan society. The allocations and their proportions reflect that. We must raise humanity and human freedom in Sri Lanka, badly eroded.

¶ 03 The Budget attends to all social pillars—prisoners, children with disabilities, persons with disabilities, children in homes, women—very important indicators. When our country collapsed, people looked to developed countries for a higher human social space; this Budget charts a path to those parameters.

¶ 04 A country with excellent public transport is a country we want to live in; hence the emphasis under Transport. We must ensure no one dies for lack of water or food. In Eheliyagoda in my Ratnapura District, there is a water shortage; bowsers are supplying drinking water. This is our reality—due not only to drought but to years of unregulated large-scale machinery use, environmental destruction, mining, landslides. Allocations to these areas pave the road to a higher society beyond caste, regional, or local divisions. These ideals become reality through funding and changing minds—via education and dialogue.

¶ 05 We must not forget the central challenge we faced. The Opposition wants to forget the traumatic experience of a shattered, degraded, vulgarised nation. This Budget allocates to confront that trauma—the “lost decade” the Minister spoke of. Rebuilding from within that lost decade is not easy; ridiculing is easy, governing is not.

¶ 06 Some in the Opposition say the story of the headmistress made to kneel is old; they suggest we stop recalling it. We will remind the country until it is rebuilt; we will not forget. I recall the film “Amistad.” In court, former US President John Quincy Adams argued for the freedom of the enslaved, asking of America’s ideals and declaring: “Who we are is who we were.” The past shapes the present. Therefore, do not erase the past while making facile arguments. When we debate our Ministry heads we will go into detail; today I stress the vision.

¶ 07 There was a heart’s conscience in Adams to admit, “We failed to build a free nation” consistently. The Opposition should reflect on the poison they sowed. Daylight killings occurred; that is a consequence. Who sowed that poison? Surgery to remove it is not as easy as sowing it. The whole country accepts that now.

¶ 08 The Hon. Prime Minister is present. Someone mocked that she once marched from Galle to Colombo demanding 6% for Education, implying she has forgotten. In truth, such quips are dangerous. Those from academia know the tragedy in education. In time, we will expose how some Presidents’ sons entered certain programmes through special gazettes—non-degree programmes—while qualified youth were sidelined. Do not ignore these foundational truths.

¶ 09 We must also address “Budget literacy.” In the social media age, complex fiscal formulas are misinterpreted. Soon after the speech, misreadings about salaries spread; later, even those sharers realised the truth. We must build literacy.