Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, the President and many Ministers have claimed large primary surpluses and rising revenues—“the Treasury is overflowing.” You also noted multilateral inflows under the IMF EFF, ADB and World Bank. In that context, why increase fuel prices further—as the President hinted—when Treasury balances are strong? Why not prevent hikes, or even reduce prices? The same with electricity tariffs.

¶ 02 Second, you promised the public they could buy a Vitz car for Rs. 1.2 million. When will that dream of vehicle ownership be realised?

¶ 03 Finally, you cited poverty line figures suggesting an individual can live on Rs. 16,690 per month nationally, and in Colombo on Rs. 18,000. Do you really accept that a person can live 30 days on such sums? I request that you bring in the Department of Census and Statistics to explain whether people across 25 districts can live for a month on these amounts. And please state when people will have the opportunity to own a Vitz at Rs. 1.2 million.