The Hon. Mano Ganesan

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, before the recess, I am glad to address the main business. Through you, Sir, I send greetings to my good friend, the Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Minister.

¶ 02 I move, as per tradition, that a sum of Rs. 10 be cut from all Recurrent and Capital Expenditure in each Programme under Heads 110, 228 to 236 and 326 pertaining to the Ministry and institutions debated today, Saturday, 01 March, 2025, at the Committee Stage of the Appropriation Bill, 2025.

¶ 03 Hon. Minister, your Ministry carries critical importance. Your Government daily presents lists exposing corruption and misuse of State assets. Many of us agree with combating corruption. But do not make that the sole focus. Alongside economic rebuilding, we must pursue national integration — social justice and equality — which is a core function of your Ministry. Both must advance in parallel. Recently we heard chief ministers say there will be no new Constitution now; focus will be on economic rebuilding. Yet we see mainly lists, not results.

¶ 04 On foreign direct investment, Adani came to Mannar and withdrew. The signal is that investments will not come bypassing India; they come aligned with India’s consent. Adani’s plan was to connect excess Sri Lankan power to India’s grid — something only they can realistically do. That perspective is not discussed.

¶ 05 Coming to your subject: national integration must progress parallel to economic rebuilding. In my earlier tenure, I handled the national integration components. Our manifesto in the SJB/Sajith-led alliance pledged devolution of power and to strengthen the 13th Amendment, moving forward from the Yahapalana-era constitutional reform process we worked on with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also participating in that operations committee. We laboured two years with leaders like Rauff Hakeem and Nizam Kariapper. You promised to take that forward. Some, like Hon. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, may not accept the 13th Amendment, but devolution is essential. The JVP/JJB historically opposed devolution, including in 1988–89. Doubts persist whether your party will back devolution now. You must dispel that by acting.

¶ 06 In 1983, during the riots, our house and vehicles in Havelock Town were burnt; we received no compensation. A phone call came minutes before the attack — it was from the late Vijaya Kumaratunga, a friend of my father from cinema. Within minutes, someone came and evacuated our family. Who was he? Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, it was your father, Yasapalitha Nanayakkara. He saved us. I trust you. Please deliver devolution within a united Sri Lanka: Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim; Buddhist, Hindu, Islam, Catholic; multilingual. Protect everyone. Do not postpone saying “next year.” Bring constitutional reform now, in parallel with economic rebuilding. Your Ministry bears that responsibility.

¶ 07 Under your Ministry are: the Official Languages Commission, the Department of Official Languages, and NILET — the National Institute of Language Education and Training. Use these to build linguistic harmony. Our Constitution’s Chapter IV provides Sinhala and Tamil as Official Languages and English as the Link Language. Article 18(1) says Sinhala shall be the Official Language; 18(2) says Tamil shall also be an official language. It should read “Sinhala and Tamil shall be the Official Languages of Sri Lanka.” Ensure that in practice: a Sinhala speaker in the North must receive oral or written service in Sinhala; a Tamil speaker in the South or Hill Country must receive service in Tamil. We have a sound constitutional framework, but implementation lags. Train public officers; deploy language skills.

¶ 08 NILET’s Act empowers training of language trainers and deploying them. We initiated a programme: placing Sinhala teachers in Tamil schools, Tamil teachers in Sinhala schools, and English teachers as needed. We recruited 1,300 teachers in phase one — 800 Tamil teachers to Sinhala schools, 300 Sinhala teachers to Tamil schools, and 100 English teachers — but the programme was halted under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Put aside ethno-national labels; be Sri Lankans and deliver language rights. Use NILET’s legal powers; continue good programmes without discarding them.

¶ 09 Hon. Minister, your late father stood for devolution and served also in provincial governance. Leaders like Vijaya Kumaratunga sought unity through devolution. Do not delay a new Constitution. Implement the 13th Amendment fully; hold Provincial Council elections. National rebuilding must go in parallel with economic rebuilding. Today there may be no new lists; tomorrow there will be. My plea is to act on national integration now. Thank you, and again my greetings to you.