Hon. (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi - Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity. The Adjournment Debate was moved and fixed by the Opposition. Now, where is the Opposition? If they were sincere about the issue they raised, they should show greater commitment.

¶ 02 This Middle East war is impacting countries globally in an interconnected world. I need not restate how our Government stabilized the country: current account improvements, exceeding revenue targets, rising investment—putting sectors back on track with expert input, even at fiscal cost. That burden itself weighs on the economy now: e.g., Ceylon Petroleum Corporation losses of Rs. 900 billion had to be absorbed by the Treasury; CEB restructuring is finally being addressed by this Government.

¶ 03 The Opposition tries to paint an externally generated problem as our doing, both here and through the media—sowing fear and uncertainty. In 2022, the fuel and gas queues were the outcome of those specific failures. The 2026 situation is not the same; they know it but persist in false equivalence. Some even ridicule operational fuel details—highly inappropriate.

¶ 04 The Central Bank Governor has said: as long as the world has petroleum, Sri Lanka now has the capacity to order and pay for it; the economy is secured. Could such a statement have been made before? Yet the Opposition twists our statements about days of stock by ignoring that consumption has doubled or tripled due to panic hoarding—driven by their fear-mongering.

¶ 05 Media friends: if this were a government-made crisis, expose it; but do not cultivate hostility by burying facts and amplifying distortions to scare people. Use airtime to discuss alternatives and resilience—how to integrate renewables—rather than chase queues with microphones.

¶ 06 To our citizens: seek accurate information and ignore malicious voice cuts. The Prime Minister noted this morning that our people are ahead of the Opposition; let us recognize that. In such times, life rhythms change; we need a shared sense of sacrifice—reduce non-essential consumption, do not hoard fuel (we saw reports of 19,000 liters seized from two individuals). I also saw reports of threatened trade union action over a holiday demand—this is not responsible now.

¶ 07 On the New Year “nekath” calendar scare spread earlier: the Opposition grasped at even auspicious times; they launched a partisan “public nekath almanac”—what a farce. Some five people before a few microphones declared “the time we gave the Government is over.” Only the people can say such a thing. This is creating uncertainty, not responsible opposition.

¶ 08 In conclusion: the Government is managing this without allowing economic backsliding. If you cannot help, at least do not hinder or spread fear; it only harms our own people. The President has appointed the necessary committees which meet and reassess constantly; thus, statements on fuel stocks can legitimately change with evolving data. Treat this with national seriousness, not cynicism. With courage, we will traverse this difficult moment.

¶ 09 Thank you.