The Hon. Kabir Hashim

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, the main objective of the system change that was the central theme at both recent elections was to lighten the burden of the general public: reduce food prices, solve the rice issue, reduce income inequality, correct the IMF-driven debt restructuring where the burden fell unfairly on people, and eliminate corruption and fraud. That is what people asked for under system change.

¶ 02 Now, 100 days have passed under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Government. In these 100 days, we should review what responses and outcomes have been delivered to the people—the promises made on the campaign stage and to those who asked for system change.

¶ 03 The Yahapalana Government came to power in 2015. It has been criticized for many things, especially the Central Bank bond issue. But there were also many unspoken good things. One such was the 100-day Programme. Compare that 100 days with these 100 days.

¶ 04 Within the Yaḥapalana 100 days: the price of an LP gas cylinder was reduced from Rs. 2,650 to Rs. 1,350; one-for-one reduction. A kilo of dhal from Rs. 240 to Rs. 160; rice from Rs. 150 to Rs. 100; petrol per litre from Rs. 165 to Rs. 117; diesel from Rs. 130 to Rs. 95; kerosene from Rs. 95 to Rs. 55; wheat flour from Rs. 110 to Rs. 85; a 400g milk powder packet from Rs. 350 to Rs. 290. Prices of peanuts, sprats, salmon, sugar, coconut oil and dried fish were reduced. Salaries were increased.

¶ 05 Now look at the first 100 days of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Government, also considering the exchange rate. The price of a coconut has been pegged near the dollar. A kilo of rice has been brought close to a dollar-like price—now Rs. 265-270. The dollar, the coconut and a kilo of rice are competing. That is your 100 days.

¶ 06 We are the Main Opposition. Our primary duty is constructive criticism where Government policies, Bills and programmes have shortcomings. Under Gotabaya Rajapaksa, we repeatedly warned, “The country is heading for bankruptcy; take steps; go for an orderly default.” Had they listened, bankruptcy could have been avoided. They did not. We fulfilled our duty then; we continue to do so now.

¶ 07 The World Food Programme and FAO recently found that the number of food-insecure households in Sri Lanka rose rapidly from 17% to 24% in the past six months. On estates and in rural areas, over 75% of monthly expenditure is on food. If rice prices are reduced, household food bills decline and malnutrition falls. Annual rice requirement is 3.7 million metric tons. In 2020, production was 4.1 million MT; in 2021, 3.8 million MT—above requirement. Yet consumer prices did not decline relatively. Today, large-scale millers have hundreds of thousands of tons hoarded, but retail rice prices are sky-high. For years, we demanded a fair price to farmers and a fair rice price to consumers. After 100 days, neither has happened. Experts, including the National Institute of Post-Harvest Management, say large millers earn Rs. 4 million per day—Rs. 120 million per month. So where does the profit lie? Not with farmers or consumers. You were elected to effect system change—break these entrenched private networks: large mill owners, business powers, political powers, and some bank officials forming a mafia. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake shouted from campaign stages that only the JVP could break this mafia. Yet within 100 days, there is still no programme showing how you will break it, or ensure fair prices to farmer and consumer. This is why voters demanded system change. Where is the plan to dismantle these monopolies and mafias? Instead of cleaning up the rice mafia, you roam around removing Buddha statues from three-wheelers and small stalls in the name of “Clean Sri Lanka.” JVP is a socialist, leftist party, but now you are more capitalist than any of us. Your guru, Karl Marx, said at the Free Trade Congress in Brussels in 1848, “To impose protective duties on foreign corn is infamous, it is to speculate on the famine of peoples.”

¶ 08 In Sinhala: Marx said, “Imposing taxes on imported essential foods is akin to gambling on the people’s hunger.” What has the Government done? It imposed an import tax on rice: Rs. 65 per kilo. On 67,000 MT, that is Rs. 4.3 billion. Meanwhile, you promised increased fertilizer subsidies—Rs. 10,000 or Rs. 15,000 or 50%—but did not deliver. So whose pocket does this Rs. 430 crore go into?