The Hon. (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, thank you for the time. Frankly, I am disheartened as I deliver my maiden speech. Is this the Parliament we aspired to? The people did not expect such conduct. Today we were to discuss the President’s programme to rebuild the country; instead, Opposition members seized on isolated incidents rather than engaging the policy debate. We wanted a fair discussion on how to rebuild the country and face upcoming challenges.

¶ 02 The nature of our mandate goes beyond winning 159 seats; it transformed a society used to living as isolated individuals into one thinking and acting collectively. The people called us, saying they wanted nothing personal—“let us rebuild the country.” So in this chamber we must behave responsibly; I trust the Opposition’s voters expect the same from their MPs.

¶ 03 Our movement focuses on people’s core needs—long, healthy, and happy lives; beyond food, shelter, and clothing, to a broader human development. To reach that, society must think collectively. The President and the NPP leadership have consistently conveyed this, and for the first time we have organized Parliament on a voluntary, collective basis—this is our strength.

¶ 04 On social systems—health and education—we approach them as integrated systems. WHO recognizes that when out-of-pocket health spending exceeds 30% of total health expenditure, a country is pushed into poverty. Sri Lanka has been at risk. We will rebuild health, education, and social systems with knowledge, understanding, and discipline. We promised this to the people. Thank you.