The Hon. Dilip Wedaarachchi

¶ 01 Fine, fine. Wait and see until you are defeated. Fine, fine. Now that issue is over. Fine, fine. Win the Local Government election and show us then. Fine, I will speak.

¶ 02 Take correct policy decisions regarding food security. Today the majority of our people live in dire poverty, Hon. Minister. You have said after a survey that a person can live for a month on Rs. 16,334. How much is a kilogram of rice today? Rs. 2,800–3,000. When a kilo of rice is Rs. 2,800–3,000, how much is a coconut? Your paddy storage mechanism did not succeed. The mechanism of businessmen including Dudley Sirisena succeeded. There are no rice stocks in state stores. Then if suddenly there is a disaster—a two- or three-year crisis like the COVID pandemic—our people will have to buy rice at Rs. 500–600. Therefore, I request you to establish a necessary mechanism to maintain rice reserves.

¶ 03 What is the price of coconuts now? A coconut is Rs. 250. We eat a few; the rest goes abroad. We have no coconuts to eat. Our comrade Lal Kantha said the monkeys must be culled. I agree. If countries in the world cull elephants when populations increase, and cull other animals to control populations, then there is no problem culling monkeys. I propose that. Minister Lal Kantha’s proposal is correct. Give farmers weapons. Since you took away the many weapons they had, now farmers have no weapons; monkeys have increased. So create some mechanism regarding monkeys; otherwise we will have no coconuts to eat. In the South, people need rice three times a day, fish, etc.—that is our staple. Therefore, please put in place a mechanism to resolve the coconut issue.

¶ 04 Also, salt. In those days we bought a packet of salt for five rupees from Hambantota Salterns.