The Hon. U.P. Abeywickrama, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, today we debate the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Amendment) Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill (No. 2 of 1978). Under the people’s mandate, and as set out in our policy statement, we seek to uphold the rule of law, ensure a peaceful and free life for our citizens, and strengthen institutions to deliver justice through necessary reforms. This is not simple. Since the open economy in 1978, ad hoc measures without accountability enabled a political culture in which underworld crime, drug mafias, and power structures intertwined, capturing institutions meant to protect the public.

¶ 02 On 21 September 2024, the people granted us power to rescue the country from a criminal state. In just over a year, we have laid foundations for transformation across sectors. Politically, we are reshaping governance to serve the people, not stand above them. We have worked to re-establish the rule of law and economic stability, as recognized by international and local assessments, restoring hope among our people.

¶ 03 Legal reform is challenging because the state had morphed into a criminalized system, with justice institutions ensnared in that web. One cannot reverse that overnight. We are advancing carefully but steadily to modernize every sector. In the justice sector, past administrations failed to recruit sufficient judges, provide training, facilities, or proper remuneration. Infrastructure was inadequate. Since last year, we have intervened to improve infrastructure and recruit needed staff. We are enhancing investigative capacity, resourcing the police and strengthening independent investigative institutions.

¶ 04 Prisons carry special responsibility within the justice process. They have suffered severe breakdown: facilities built for about 10,000 now hold 30,000–40,000 inmates. Prisons must be modernized with proper facilities and genuine rehabilitation. In the past, young drug victims were simply jailed rather than rehabilitated. In the recent Budget, the President allocated substantial funds to upgrade prisons and rehabilitation.

¶ 05 By December, we will present a slate of legal reforms across sectors, to cement the rule of law and justice, fulfilling the people’s mandate. Through the national “The Whole Nation Together” anti-drug operation, we established Public Security Committees in all 14,022 GN divisions, creating a community-based program to control the drug threat. We are steering the country away from a criminal state towards a civilized one. Thank you.