The Hon. Arjuna Sujeewa Senasinghe, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Thank you, Sir.

¶ 02 First, I express gratitude to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, and all in the tri-forces and Police who ended the brutal war and gave us peace. Though we may disagree with the politics of the Rajapaksas or Sarath Fonseka, we are not so petty as to deny them this honour. I also applaud Hon. Aruna Jayasekera for unreservedly using the word “Ranaviru.” Your President seems reluctant to say it; I don’t know why.

¶ 03 Let’s be clear who terrorists are: those who, for their political aims, kill unarmed people—be it JVP, LTTE or any group. Ending that vile terrorism must not be forgotten. We honour the veterans and the families of the fallen.

¶ 04 On tax administration, my colleague spoke fairly. You cannot “squeeze blood from a stone.” You cannot destroy the taxpayer and expect to collect more. Globally, you protect and grow the taxpayer base; you make laws tighter for evaders, educate widely, and bring non-payers into the net. Our elderly parents do not know how to file online. A small village trader who cannot manage online filing could end up in jail—his life over. Our amendments propose a compliance pathway instead of jailing people—remedies before punishment.

¶ 05 Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Government has blundered; the economy is sliding. The coal scam cost over Rs. 500 billion in losses cascading through the system. Electricity producers—about 390 companies—are owed over Rs. 15 billion; solar, hydro and other IPPs have not been paid for months. How do they pay salaries? The previous government fell after not paying bills; now, with money available, you still do not pay—debt keeps piling up.

¶ 06 The Central Bank Governor was earlier holding things together, but now even he says the future is uncertain. The Treasury Secretary says we cannot manage global shocks. If so, put that in your manifesto: “If the world faces shocks, we will remain silent.”

¶ 07 ADB states Sri Lanka’s export sector operates far below capacity, leaving around USD 6 billion untapped, and could rise 4 percent if activated—while warning of lasting social scars and rising poverty. This Government’s incompetence has impoverished families.

¶ 08 Look at the chain of scandals: the coal fraud; USD 13 million lost at Lakvijaya; USD 2.5 million lost in remittances to Australia; double payments at RDA; erroneous payments at SriLankan Airlines; irregular payments at People’s Bank; Department of Posts paying USD 0.6 million wrongly; duplicate welfare payments—the list goes on. Currency devaluation losses cumulatively amount to staggering magnitudes burdening the people. We may not agree with Ranil Wickremesinghe politically, but he preserved USD 6.8 billion in reserves. Based on conditions, that should be around USD 12–14 billion today. Taxes squeezed from the public were to stabilize the economy, but you failed to maintain even that.

¶ 09 In four months, the JVP leader will call for a national government, saying they can’t manage. I am not pointing fingers for politics; governing a state is hard. But do not push our people from frying pan to fire. Do not bankrupt this country again. Mark my words: the dollar will hit Rs. 360; in five months, see where we are—cost of living will skyrocket unless action is taken.

¶ 10 Thank you.