The Hon. (Ms.) Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you.

¶ 02 Why extend emergency? Following the “Ditva” cyclone, the Government declared an emergency to deliver services and relief. The Essential Services Commissioner-General is appointed under these regulations to provide facilities and housing to displaced people and restore their lives. That office is essential for recovery and rehabilitation and exists under emergency regulations. I am surprised that senior Opposition Members, including lawyers, engage this debate without even grasping the basics of these regulations.

¶ 03 Another point: Hon. Namal Rajapaksa claims poverty increased this year. On what report? The Department of Census and Statistics last published official poverty data in 2019; since then, no official update has been published. If he has a source, table it. He even cited “between 25% and 30%”—poverty is not measured as a range. The latest World Bank update indicates nationally poverty fell from 24% to 22%. Note: poverty, which was around 14% in 2019, worsened to about 25% by 2022 amid the economic crisis and bankruptcy—caused by the government of Namal Rajapaksa’s party and family. Our Government is working to pull people out of poverty through the Praja Shakthi national program across all divisions and villages.

¶ 04 Our mandate is to enforce the law on crimes and corruption, including the Easter Sunday attacks. The Opposition is now threatening investigators—Shani Abeysekera, Ravi Seneviratne, Ranga Dissanayake, and AG’s Department’s Dilipa Peiris—through media and social media. Who gave them that right? The Government will ensure the safety of investigators and deliver justice to victims.

¶ 05 The Easter attacks fractured society—pitting Sinhala against Muslim and Muslim against Catholic. The Muslim community suffered greatly afterwards, without cause. Those who exploited this for political power must face justice. Until we deliver that justice, the Opposition should wait, and come to court when summoned.

¶ 06 On welfare, we acknowledge global war conditions have raised fuel and energy prices and, with our import dependence, pushed up many goods. The Government is taking measures to manage prices. The Opposition Leader keeps saying the Treasury is full; indeed, because we rebuilt fiscal space, we allocated Rs. 500 billion in relief after “Ditva,” and recorded a primary surplus of 5.4% of GDP last year. This year, though we had an IMF target of a 2.3% surplus, we deliberately plan a lower surplus to provide people relief. The IMF has agreed to maintain a lower floor. That is what it means to negotiate on behalf of the people. We collect and spend taxes, and save, for public relief. The Opposition should stop peddling falsehoods and help make this debate productive.

¶ 07 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member.