The Hon. Mujibur Rahman

¶ 01 Yes, from the beginning. If you want to give to the lowest bidder, then why have tenders at all? Just auction and give to the lowest bid. In tenders, the lowest price is not the only criterion—there is technical capacity, financial background, and experience. The technical evaluation was rejected for major deviations. The President answered in two places—as he must, because he knows this best. There is also a saying about the “pumpkin thief shouting ‘thief!’” So, do not say there is no crony capitalism.

¶ 02 What about the 323 containers? Whose are they? Have you told Parliament who the owners are and what was inside? No. The Customs Officers’ Union says 323 containers were released without any checks. Are those not cronies’ containers?

¶ 03 Tell Minister Lal Kantha: those who wore red shirts and hats and gave you votes cannot be managed now with pretty speeches. If you ate cuttlefish, be ready to digest it. You promised wage hikes. This year, the minimum public sector salary increase is Rs. 5,975. The Rs. 20,000 will come only in 2027. The Prime Minister also spoke of teacher salary increases: a Grade I teacher gets Rs. 13,763 more—but reaching Grade I takes 20 years. On 2 October 2024, you brought teachers to Colombo demanding Rs. 20,000 for all state workers. Now you give Rs. 15,000 over three years. What happened to the Rs. 20,000?

¶ 04 A Hambantota teacher who came to your protest lost an eye due to water cannon. You have given him only Rs. 13,000 more now. You rode to power on those struggles. Compensate him.

¶ 05 You also propose a 15 percent tax on those in the IT platform sector—web design, development, video editing, freelancers working on Fiverr and Upwork. Yet there is no online casino tax. Our Dr. Harsha de Silva proposed at COPF to tax online platforms, but nothing—while you tax hardworking youth. We now wonder whose influence stopped the casino tax. Has the casino mafia captured this Government? Like previous Presidents, cronies now surround your President; that is why containers slip out of the port; that is why tenders go outside procedure; that is why online platforms are not taxed.

¶ 06 The President says he is establishing an Anti-Corruption Committee Office and has taken a Minister’s official residence for it. Good—investigate past corruption and punish. Bring any necessary laws. If one official residence is not enough, take them all. But start by investigating the new corrupt deals too: the wind power project, the 323 containers, VFS and passport deals. Do not hide the thefts of your associates. These are all people’s tax money.

¶ 07 You have put icing on an old loaf of bread and call it cake. In April, when it is cut, people will realize it is bread, not cake. I conclude with that.