Hon. (Dr.) Ms. Kaushalya Ariyarathne - Deputy Minister of Mass Media

¶ 01 Hon. Member, Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri said there will be no “aragalaya.” Let me begin by saying: indeed, one cannot manufacture an aragalaya at will.

¶ 02 Let me first set out the context. This is a severe global situation. Many try to equate it with 2022. But in 2022, the core problem was our loss of purchasing power and the inability to open LCs for fuel—the country had been driven to bankruptcy. Today, the disruption is a global supply chain crisis in oil. News reports show Brent above USD 112 per barrel. Some even claim “on Women’s Day, crowds were dragged by buses and that caused the fuel problem.” That is not how this should be understood.

¶ 03 In 2025, Sri Lanka achieved some macro stability: reserves at USD 7.28 billion; reducing the budget deficit; moving a contracted economy onto an expansion path and laying policy foundations. We also managed the “Ditva” cyclone shock as an internal shock.

¶ 04 Now, with an external shock beyond our control, the question is: how do we manage the country so that the burden on people is minimized and macro stability preserved? That is the administrative and statecraft capacity we are demonstrating in this difficult moment.

¶ 05 As Deputy Minister of Mass Media, I want to address media responsibility and public behavior with media. In moments like this, media has a special duty: report accurately; avoid panic-inducing, inflammatory fake news. Media should be driven by verified data, not overconfidence or uncritical cheerleading. Freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution is subject to limits such as public health, morality, and national security. There is no absolute, unfettered right to misuse it. Media, too, must operate within those bounds.

¶ 06 On 18 March 2026, the Daily Mirror front page blared, “Power cuts – Coming soon?” with lines like “night-time blackouts of up to an hour could soon become routine,” and “daily outages could stretch to three or four hours,” citing only “an official involved in power generation,” and unnamed “experts.” Any fake can be planted under the cloak of anonymous “experts/officials.” Publishing such banner panic pieces—when foreign investors, missions, and the international readership rely on such English outlets—serves to scare and harm confidence. Debate on possible challenges is fair, but base it on attributable, verifiable facts, not anonymous speculation.

¶ 07 Social media also spreads falsehoods: viral maps with thousands of “oil tankers” supposedly circling Sri Lanka, implying we could just hail them like bread vans to get fuel—utter fabrications designed to sow hatred and misinformation. Others posted fake claims like “a powerful Minister’s convoy stoned”—when such convoys ended in September 2024. These are fake news items that can incite unrest.

¶ 08 Media’s responsibility is immense. Beyond “holding a mic,” let’s discuss how, as a neutral country, we manage this crisis: beyond the Economic Stabilization Committee, four committees now monitor energy security; public service and operations; supply chains and market stability; and impacts on vulnerable groups. We are closely tracking global political and economic shifts. While growth may see some wobble, 2025 growth exceeded 5% despite the cyclone.