The Hon. Roshan Akmeemana

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member, for the opportunity.

¶ 02 Today is a day we cannot forget in Sri Lankan history: the day a thirty-year war ended. At this moment the commemoration is being held under the leadership of the Hon. President, remembering all who sacrificed.

¶ 03 Today is an emotionally significant day. We must remember all who died and ensure that ethnic chauvinism that fueled war never returns. Our people suffered across the South and the North; countless lives were lost; mass graves lie across the land; our country was soaked with blood and tears. Our Government’s objective is to ensure it never happens again. We do politics to prevent a return to ethnic chauvinist conflict.

¶ 04 Ethnic chauvinist politics existed historically in Sri Lanka and still exists—even in this Parliament. Merely commemorating victory is not enough; we must repeatedly recall how ethnic chauvinist politics fueled the conflict so that future generations know who advanced that politics and what it cost.

¶ 05 Let me cite an example. The same media owner—connected to MP Dilith Jayaweera and Derana TV—owns Tamil paper “Thamilan” and Sinhala paper “Aruna.” Yesterday, the Tamil paper’s headline: “Continuous struggle is the choice of Tamils” / “Commemoration of Tamil genocide today,” while Sinhala outlets frame it as insulting war heroes and LTTE resurgence. In the morning, Derana hosts incite ethnic passions. This is the chauvinism we reject. What has such chauvinism given us except burying our youth? Those who chase the scent of blood still speak here—we will not allow it.

¶ 06 This National People’s Power Government was formed by uniting people against chauvinism—from Kankesanthurai to Tissamaharama, from Gampaha to Trincomalee—people now stand together. Sri Lanka is everyone’s country; that is what we want. We will not allow politics that harms national unity. As an MP from Trincomalee, I say without fear: we will fight it.

¶ 07 On the economy, we live in an uncertain world: old hegemonies crumbling, new ones rising—a time of external “supply shocks.” Many importing countries’ current account positions are under pressure; import costs rise; dollar reserves thin. Even India is encouraging import restraint. In Sri Lanka, fuel import costs rose 75% in recent months. Yet, workers’ remittances rose 26% last quarter—showing continued confidence. State revenue rose 39% over last year’s quarter. Our internal economic resilience has improved; international institutions acknowledge it. In the next 2-3 months, about US$ 1 billion in foreign inflows is expected.

¶ 08 We can strengthen our external sector while maintaining internal stability and managing this crisis without imposing fresh suffering or repeating past mismanagement. Thank you.