The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Clean Sri Lanka programme. We still do not have a proper understanding of the Government’s vision and mission for this programme. Nor, it appears, do state officials, Governors, and heads of local authorities. Is this debate meant to inform Members? If we can correctly read the vision, identify the mission, understand its level and value, as well as its risks, strengths, weaknesses and threats, then we can have a meaningful debate.

¶ 02 Another crucial point: whatever you do requires funding—either from the Budget, the Treasury, or donations. Earlier you said you would bring in USD 500 each from the Sri Lankans abroad. However it is raised, money is needed. How will you fund this?

¶ 03 Recently, the US President launched “America the Beautiful” with a clear activity list. What is your activity list? Different people see different things. Police think it is removing trimmings from three-wheelers and buses. Public servants think it is wearing ties and cleaning drains. Some ministers see removing weeds and salvinia from tanks. There must be a correct understanding of the whole programme.

¶ 04 We saw on Wednesday public institutions cleaning their premises. Will they keep doing this every Wednesday? And what happens to the waste collected? You removed “spare parts” from vehicles—yet there is an import regime for such parts and some are made locally. If you really want to start, stop importing those unnecessary parts or strengthen local production so Police need not chase them.

¶ 05 Hon. Nalinda Jayathissa, you had a perfect place to start: you announced a large number—around 300—of wine store licences had been given to political henchmen. You promised to table the list on the next day. But the list contained only a couple of political names; the rest were unclear. One name resembled that of an MP from your party. I do not claim it was him, but when we asked you to clarify and then to cancel such licences, we heard nothing. If Ranil Wickremesinghe granted 300 wine store licences to political henchmen, you should have begun Clean Sri Lanka right there. Now people will think this government too is caught by the bar lobby.

¶ 06 You railed against ETCA as a monster; you should have begun by changing it. Likewise the Singapore agreement you portrayed as a demon—Clean Sri Lanka should have started by revising these.

¶ 07 Next, the rice mafia must be tackled under this programme; you failed to stop it. There is also an electricity mafia. Your Power Minister said last Saturday that electricity tariffs would not be reduced for three years. Yet thanks to the PUCSL established during the so‑called 76‑year “curse,” tariffs were reduced against the Minister’s stance, benefitting all, including estate workers and industry. Dismantling that mafia is important.

¶ 08 Then the pharmaceutical mafia. Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa, you bear a big responsibility to implement a plan to end it. I do not say it can be done in a month or two, but Clean Sri Lanka must address it.