The Hon. Mujibur Rahman

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, during the Second Reading debate on the first Budget of the National People’s Power Government—call it NPP or JVP Government—points were made from both the Government and the Opposition. One thing we all accept is that with J.R. Jayewardene’s 1977 victory our country transformed into an open market economy. There have been many debates about that transformation—there were positives and negatives—and we have discussed them for years.

¶ 02 From 1977 to 1994, under Presidents J.R. Jayewardene and Ranasinghe Premadasa, for 17 years we moved in the direction of the open economy—before even our neighbors like India had done so. They came to it later.

¶ 03 Then, when Chandrika came to power in 1994, she said she would build a “human face” for the open economy. With her were the LSSP and Communist Party—your own traditional allies. That coalition formed the People’s Alliance Government in 1994. They said they would give a human face and strengthen domestic industry and stop privatization. What happened? The UNP had privatized 43 State institutions over 17 years. Chandrika’s Government privatized 53 institutions in just two years, to build a feudal power structure. Though they accused the UNP of selling everything, the UNP did 43 in 17 years; Chandrika did 53 in two.

¶ 04 Then came Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005 with “Mahinda Chinthana.” Your people were on that committee writing it, and you gave huge support. You said you would develop domestic industry and stop privatization. But in the end, land belonging to Army Headquarters was given on long lease to Shangri-La; 500 acres of sea off Galle Face were written to China. Those who came to protect national resources did that. Only after the Yahapalana Government came in 2015 did we try—very difficultly—to reverse some of that.

¶ 05 In 2019, Gotabaya Rajapaksa came promising a country for all of us to live in. In the end, we had no country to live in. Now you are stuck in a family feud—you won’t even send the letter to let him go, while they say they are ready to go.

¶ 06 You came to power in 2024 with various claims. I heard Minister Lal Kantha say, “We are not neo-liberals. We will operate a State-participatory economy.” Others said, “We have not abandoned socialism.” The NPP says, “We will also go with the IMF.” You say you will not leave the IMF. Minister Lal Kantha says your guiding principle is “economic democracy,” and therefore there are no “elephant friends” (cronies) to consider. He says those aren’t in the economy now; you have removed them.

¶ 07 This morning the Prime Minister said the economy will be taken in a new direction. But Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said the direction has not changed. So, do not read us fairy tales. The model since 1977 remains. You can tinker with technical items, but the core principle—the market economy—remains, and you have not changed even an inch.

¶ 08 What is economic democracy? Democracy means asking the people. From whom did you ask when preparing this Budget? As far as we know, it was prepared asking Nandalal, Mahinda Siriwardana, and the IMF’s Peter Breuer. You decided the paddy price at Rs. 120 per kilo. Did you ask the farmers’ unions? No.