The Hon. Jeevan Thondaman

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, thank you.

¶ 02 First, regarding the Norwood Divisional Secretariat: if the issue is lack of resources, allocate Rs. 10 million and fix it in place; that is acceptable. But you propose moving an office serving 200,000 people to the floor above the Hatton railway station. It is not possible. As Hon. Radhakrishnan said, such a decision must be a public decision.

¶ 03 You said a decision was taken. However, Hon. Manjula Seneviratne (Manjula Suraveera Arachchi) clearly said at the Nuwara Eliya DCC that no decision was taken; only discussions were held, with a decision to be made later. If the Hon. Member were here, he could confirm.

¶ 04 Further, the DCC can only advise the Central Government; it has no legal framework to decide this. I accept there are issues due to resource constraints and people wait long for services. But if your roof leaks, you repair it; you do not sell the house. Please understand. You said it was not a party decision; I never said it was. Also, the District Coordinator, Governor and members present were all Government appointees or Members. Opposition Members could not attend because the DCC was postponed to a day conflicting with the ongoing Budget Debate. If Opposition Members are absent, you could have postponed the decision. Please also note: Norwood residents are suffering; they are signing a petition which we will table in Parliament so you can see their views. Please set aside this wrong move and let us agree on a common decision.

¶ 05 Now, some accusations were made. Hon. Kalaichelvi, you have long been in politics; I respect you for tirelessly working in Nuwara Eliya for the NPP. But I cannot accept your suggestion that upcountry representatives must seek apologies. For what should we apologize? In 1948 our community became stateless; did anyone apologize? Between 1964 and 1981, nearly 200,000 of our people were repatriated like cattle. We thank India for its assistance, but we did not go begging India for houses. India must take note because in 1964 both governments signed the agreement that led to repatriation. Who apologizes for that? Who brought the Sripada National College of Education to the upcountry for the teacher community who educated all of you? Should we apologize for that?

¶ 06 I do not wish to be confrontational. We must work with a common purpose. Constantly blaming each other will not move us forward. I say openly: there will be politics, Government and Opposition. But for a backward community, services should not be politicized. From my entry into politics, I wanted everyone to unite. I joined the Tamil Progressive Alliance because in the upcountry we should not divide on Government/Opposition for common issues; we must unite. You said we should apologize; if so, will your party apologize for 1983 when people’s houses and Parliament were burned? I am not here to attack anyone. I want all to unite for solutions.

¶ 07 Hon. Member Ambika asked what happened to funds given by India and the Sri Lankan Government for housing from 2014 to 2024. I will table all documents. I am not blaming former Ministers; I am stating facts. When I took over as State Minister in 2020, out of a 4,000-house programme, only about 2,000 were completed and some lacked electricity and water. Even as a State Minister (not a Cabinet Minister), I completed as much as possible. In 2024, 329 houses were started with Sri Lankan funds; from 2020–2024, 1,667 houses were completed and handed over under Government funding; and under Indian funding, 1,821 houses were completed and handed over during 2020–2024. In the one year after I resigned, only 14 houses were built. Before the change of government, 1,300 houses under Indian assistance were initiated; delays occurred because construction costs rose from Rs. 950,000 per 550 sq. ft. unit to Rs. 3,200,000 due to COVID and the economic crisis and cement price hikes. With Indian funds, increases require Delhi’s approval; I sent 18 letters over a year and got the unit cost increased from Rs. 950,000 to Rs. 2,800,000, and applied that to the 1,300 houses. Before I left office, we had started 600 more houses; I trust you will complete them.

¶ 08 On land titles: you have issued deeds; I thank you. I understand 800 more are ready, pending the LRC Chairman’s signature. Please expedite.

¶ 09 One question: your manifesto promised land rights for Malaiyaha people. Will you grant land rights? The Budget has no allocation for issuing deeds. Please clarify. We raise this repeatedly because it is not a political issue. Allegations come that housing is politically allocated. But in an estate, only about 10 percent receive houses; 90 percent remain without. India has 10,000 houses; Sri Lanka this year can build only 387 with Rs. 767 million. How do we answer the remaining 200,000? My suggestion: give 10 perches each to 204,000 people; that needs only 5,000 hectares. We are not asking to destroy tea; there are fallow lands that can be surveyed and allocated. The barrier is not politicians or unions; it is a plantation company conspiracy – to keep all land and force people to live only if they work on the estate. Thus, fair solutions do not reach the people.

¶ 10 You are laying a foundation at Kabaragale; we welcome it. But what of surrounding estates? Land can be given broadly to all; houses cannot. Better than free houses, create opportunities for people to build their own houses. That is true development. While recognizing today’s economic constraints, a land title programme can deliver a permanent solution. With land titles, within five years, 200,000 people can receive deeds. We will fully support you – not only from the CWC but also the Tamil Progressive Alliance and other upcountry parties. If you do this, people will revere you. We seek no positions or plaques.

¶ 11 I must also thank the Indian Government. Two years ago, when we met the Indian Prime Minister, marking 200 years of Malaiyaha Tamils in Sri Lanka, India allocated Rs. 3,000 million for programmes. One was a successful STEM teacher training programme: 19 Indian teachers came, trained students and 2,400 teachers across 400 estate schools between July 23 and October 25 last year, at a cost of Rs. 24 million. Thank you, India.

¶ 12 On smart classrooms: as Minister I allocated for 60 schools – 46 in Nuwara Eliya, seven each in Kandy and Badulla – based on student numbers, not politics. If you change it now, it will delay by a year. This is funded via Indian assistance; MoUs are signed. Implement immediately; students will benefit.

¶ 13 On “Praja Shakthi”: from 2020 to 2024, despite being in Government amid crises, we implemented many programmes through Praja Shakthi: relief for 16,846 families; the Taiwan Government donated 30 kg of rice each to 33,000 children; the Praja Vidya Programme provided education to about 8,000 children during COVID. If you criticize Praja Shakthi, note the Budget does not even mention it; yet you speak of self-employment and youth jobs. Clarify the funding, then raise concerns.

¶ 14 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, I thank the staff of the then Ministry of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development – Mr. Wahabdeen, Ms. Deepthi, Ms. Bangamuwa and others – who worked with me on a firm short-, mid- and long-term plan to uplift education and health in estate areas. Thank you, and I wish the Hon. Minister all the best.

¶ 15 Finally, on wages: increasing wages is not simple. The Government cannot unilaterally raise private estate workers’ wages, but can pressure companies. In 2020 and 2024 we secured historic increases through trade union strength, though some unions opposed then. Wage setting should shift from day-wage to productivity-based or other models. Hon. Leader of the House, companies promise increases but keep the basic wage low and extract more. In 2020, Rs. 1,000 was about USD 7; after the rupee collapse, it became USD 3, yet companies still paid Rs. 1,000. How fair is that? Today, the “Ceylon Tea” brand is stained with blood because of how these companies treat workers. That is the truth.

¶ 16 Lastly, Hon. Leader of the House, I apologize for a comment I made last week, which was only to show how low discourse could go. Thank you for your patience.