The Hon. Imran Maharoof

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member.

¶ 02 “Give us power to end the 75-year curse of this country!”—having come to power on that call, the NPP now presents its first Budget debate. I ask: does this first Budget reflect the Leftist policies they fought for? Where is your Leftist Budget?

¶ 03 During Budget debates, Government MPs proclaim “the best Budget in history,” while the Opposition says it is a bad Budget. Beyond that ritual, we must clearly understand what is new here. Many in your NPP sat in Opposition for years and spoke at many Budgets. Consider how often your then Opposition Leader—today’s President—spoke, and what he said in those Budgets. Some NPP members now speak as if they have forgotten the past. You condemned the entire 225 MPs of the previous Parliament as bad; yet from those same 225, the President, Prime Minister and Ministers were chosen. If all 225 were bad, how did you choose leaders from them? People voted for change and gave you a mandate; the responsibility to deliver that change is yours. How many of you are actually doing so? Ask yourselves.

¶ 04 I also doubt whether all Government MPs fully understand this Budget—reports on social media suggest some Ministers say party permission is needed to comment. Do all 159 members of your party grasp the Budget?

¶ 05 As I said, recall what your leader used to say in past Budgets. You speak of 76 years of politics and politicians; yet have you brought into this Budget what you then advocated? Did the President present this after deep reflection?

¶ 06 People now do not know whom to trust; they are being misled. They expected change through you. But listening to some of your Ministers, we wonder: are these the agents of change? Do not be confused by Opposition critiques; that is their role, just as you did in Opposition. But rather than tolerate scrutiny, you react with tension and pressure—just as in the Mahinda and Gotabaya administrations, insulting Opposition MPs. If that continues, where is the change? Reform not only the Budget but also your political conduct.

¶ 07 Some present this as an extraordinary Budget. Is it? Listening to the Opposition, I see this as a mix: the President’s right brain with Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Budget ideas, and left brain with Mangala Samaraweera’s—mixed. That is not necessarily wrong. But you have forgotten what NPP itself stood for; you are acting contrary to your own policies.

¶ 08 Take Trincomalee oil tanks. You now boast of foreign investment and income. But in past governments, when investors came, your people took to the streets: “Are you handing over national assets?” We recall even religious leaders intervening to stop such moves. Being long in Opposition, perhaps you did not appreciate the challenges governments face to implement reform. Many of your positions are now reversed.

¶ 09 You came to power promising “system change.” But your Budget lists buildings for schools, road rehabilitation, bridges, raising the preschool meal from Rs. 60 to Rs. 100. Is this system change? If Rs. 60 was wrong, what is the alternative model?

¶ 10 On digitisation, you opposed many initiatives earlier, even staging protests. Now you are in Government, and public expectations are higher. You often remind us the President has been in office five months, you three months; true—a short time cannot deliver everything. But have you adhered to your stated policies?

¶ 11 Stop blaming politicians of 76 years. Many of your own supported Chandrika, held ministries then; supported Maithripala; supported Mahinda. After creating and serving in those governments, do not now pin all blame on them. The public will not accept that.

¶ 12 Also, most you criticise are not even in this House now—many are only via National List. Do not waste time on them.

¶ 13 Understand this: in every sector there are good and bad—health, education, administration. Saying “all politicians are thieves” is wrong. Funds allocated by successive governments—were they utilised properly? Were building funds used properly? How can you blame only politicians? Bring real system changes—put supervision and oversight in place—so development reaches the people properly.

¶ 14 Hon. Presiding Member, I will conclude briefly.

¶ 15 The Eastern Province MPs highlighted a key concern: the Budget Speech did not even utter “Eastern Province.” As with some initiatives for the North, post-war development for the East—Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Ampara—must be explicitly addressed. After many Opposition MPs raised it, two or three Government MPs responded with lists. Why did the President not state clearly what will be done for the East? The Government must rectify this.

¶ 16 Similarly, while the President mentioned the burning of the Jaffna Library, he said nothing about public property burnt by the JVP/NPP in recent times. Throughout today, I heard Government MPs blaming former MPs and Ministers for the economic crisis. While some were culpable, you must also accept that politically-driven strikes and disruptive agitations you led worsened the crisis. Stop mutual blame; do your work properly. We will support where we can. You have 159 MPs; do not be afraid. The President pledged to immediately renounce excessive powers; yet we hear nothing further. Despite these concerns, I wish the Government success in serving a peaceful and contented people. I conclude.