The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to speak in this debate to extend the State of Emergency. We declared it due to the Ditcha cyclone in November last year. Before that, for a year (Nov 2024 to Nov 2025), we never used emergency.

¶ 02 Due to the severe disaster from the November 2025 Ditcha cyclone—the worst in history—we declared emergency to restore essential public services and manage relief and reconstruction. Nearly seven months have passed. We have allocated Rs. 500 billion for disaster response—both to rebuild damaged infrastructure and provide relief. Mechanisms are set for optimal utilization, tied to the powers of the Commissioner General of Essential Services. Initial relief—Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 50,000 grants and others—has been completed. What remains is resettlement. We will not offer plaster solutions. We will relocate people to safe, stable housing, not to landslides again. Identifying new lands, obtaining surveys from the National Building Research Organisation, etc., have taken time. Therefore, we seek a short further extension of the emergency to complete these tasks.

¶ 03 As the Deputy Minister said, we have never used emergency to arrest people, curb speech, or stifle opinion. We have no need or intention to use it for such purposes; our Government broadens democratic space.

¶ 04 Regarding the PTA, as stated by the Justice Minister, we will abolish it soon; all arrangements are in place. We do not need draconian laws; we have strong popular support.

¶ 05 Some spoke of Jaffna’s mandate. In the last elections, the people’s mandate was shown. North, South, East, West—no difference—the NPP Government governs democratically, rejecting racism and religious extremism. For the past one and a half years, we allowed no ethnic or religious clashes and will not allow any in future. The people’s mandate stands against such divisions.

¶ 06 Recently, a youth in Kilinochchi was detained under the 2011 Gazette which prohibits promoting the LTTE. The file has been sent to the Attorney-General for advice. Some tried to generalize isolated incidents to the whole society. We are not alarmed; we understand the people’s sentiments and govern with them.

¶ 07 To Hon. Ajith P. Perera: you had the opportunity to act on the Yahapalana-era files. We know how leaders struck deals to bury cases, withdrew cases through the AG, and set up commissions to cover up.

¶ 08 All past, present, and future cases will be investigated and decided fairly by the independent judiciary and investigative agencies now established. No political finger-pointing is needed. We have depoliticized the police and ensured their freedom to work.

¶ 09 On Suresh Sale: there has been no degrading treatment. He is treated as any other remand suspect—no difference. Allegations about CID misconduct are baseless. The Police have no need to act in such a manner; they conduct impartial investigations.

¶ 10 Hon. Dilith Jayaweera said catching thieves alone is not enough—thus admitting we are catching them. We will not only catch them; no one who plundered public wealth will roam free. We act on all complaints—old or new—without discrimination, with independent institutions working together.

¶ 11 Economically, we have achieved stable 5% growth, increased exports, tourism earnings, remittances, and revenue, and stabilized the bankrupt economy. We also foster national unity across North, South, and East, rejecting extremism. We are channeling the economic gains to lower-income groups—not only the Rs. 500 billion for Ditcha relief, but also Rs. 200 billion to cushion global shocks like the Middle East conflict. We increased fertilizer subsidies from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 30,000, and are providing electricity bill relief for low-income families.

¶ 12 We do not need emergency or repressive laws to suppress the Opposition. We use emergency only to deliver relief and rebuild damaged infrastructure from the Ditcha cyclone.

¶ 13 On the Civil Security Department: 10,000 officers have been attached to Police Stations; Cabinet approved an additional Rs. 25,200 allowance for them, now being paid. For Grama-level officers commuting from home, a Rs. 8,750 allowance has been approved and will be implemented. While some postings require residence at stations, our policy is to facilitate commuting where possible.

¶ 14 On public service, contrary to claims, we have strengthened, depoliticized, and improved it, increasing salaries three times, with another increase coming next January. Rs. 330 billion will be spent for salary hikes to build a well-motivated public service.

¶ 15 Finally, extending emergency for another month will strengthen the Commissioner General of Essential Services to optimally utilize the Rs. 500 billion allocated for Ditcha relief and recovery. I conclude.

¶ 16 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.