The Hon. Dilith Jayaweera

¶ 01 What you call the “forest police” was deployed right within the Prime Minister’s premises. Your leaders too were right there. That is what should be remembered. Anyway, let me come to the point.

¶ 02 Our Minister just spoke about the crisis that has emerged and the war-like situation in the Middle East. Hon. Presiding Member, at a time when we, as a nation, should be discussing how we respond to this problem, no matter what we say, I want to remind this Government of the central issue: a crisis of trust. The Minister who spoke earlier said, “Do not harbor any doubts.” In fact, the issue is precisely doubt. The people’s prevailing sentiment is doubt, and there are two main reasons for it. First is your conduct—how you have acted; the way your past statements have turned out to be false by now; and the belief among the public that this Government is run by exploiting the concept of telling lies. Because of that, they don’t believe what you say. Our Members should step outside, visit a petrol shed, speak to the people, and listen. The people are asking today: “If you say there is fuel, why are we being made to suffer like this? Is there gas?”

¶ 03 You spoke about tourism. I had discussions with industry leaders. Their big concern is whether they will receive gas, and whether they will get fuel to run generators. Hon. Presiding Member, even that sector is facing very unfortunate challenges. These are the matters we should be addressing. The way the Government is acting does not build public confidence. Given your past behavior, you must work much harder to earn trust.

¶ 04 Let me take an example. You claim there are no tanks to keep fuel reserves. That is false. There are plenty of tanks. The lack of a strategic reserve might be due to other reasons—perhaps you chose not to maintain one because price volatility could impose losses. But at least tell the truth. We ask the Government to state facts clearly. Right now, you should say: under normal conditions, the country needs 500 million liters per month; currently we have this much; of that, this much is petrol, this much diesel, and this much kerosene. Present the figures and rebuild public trust.

¶ 05 We also need to discuss why we failed to take early steps to ensure energy security, despite the clear trend of emerging conflicts in the Middle East. We should have anticipated a situation different from normal conditions, but we did not. My belief is that this Government lacked the necessary knowledge and the right outlook—especially regarding renewable energy. Your own positions confirm that you have never shown a serious interest in energy security.

¶ 06 Nonetheless, the Government must now provide economic security—not only for industries but for all our people. And when providing that assurance, you cannot say, “We didn’t start this war.” Wars and cyclones are part of the world. They represent risks, and Government exists to manage risk. If you were in Opposition, we would have seen how you behaved then.

¶ 07 Consider what happens to daily-wage earners and the poor. You have asked the private sector to close on Wednesday. What happens to those who rely on daily wages, or run small businesses? Frankly, that is an unwise act, Hon. Presiding Member. Without stopping people from working, we could have adopted concepts like work-from-home and faced the fuel crisis while keeping work going. But you did not.

¶ 08 Next, to our Foreign Minister: I have said in this House that this is a puppet Government. The current predicament is evident because you lack an independent foreign policy. Acting to satisfy the agenda of those who appointed you, abandoning your foundational political principles, you have trapped the country in this fuel crisis without the strategic alternatives other nations have—nations that maintained their foreign relations with foresight.

¶ 09 In particular, because of the shallowness shown regarding our dealings with BRICS, we lost their support. Even when our President was invited, he did not go. Then how do we transact with the world and face this kind of crisis?

¶ 10 Hon. Presiding Member, Sri Lankans abroad are very important. Over 1.5 million Sri Lankans are in that region. What measures are we taking for them? They are now at great risk. We need discussions and to provide them with some assurance of safety.

¶ 11 We must also talk about national preparedness—how we manage the whole system in a crisis. I have repeatedly said we are ready to discuss this as a national issue. But how can we do that when all we get in return is mudslinging and ridicule? Yesterday, I said, “Let’s join together and see what we can do.” When I went near a petrol shed, people came to me and said, “Don’t say such things, Sir. They can’t do it. So, what can we do together?” That is public opinion now. No matter how sincerely we try, public trust in this Government is completely gone. I must say that clearly.

¶ 12 Therefore, we now need to build a public that has confidence in this country—our motherland—and in its governance. Without public trust, nothing will work.

¶ 13 Please conclude, Hon. Member.

¶ 14 Give me just a few more seconds, Hon. Presiding Member. We must act in a way that fosters public confidence. Stop the incendiary statements and the lies. If you face this situation properly and honestly, you will see the results of your effort. Even if we say this, we are attacked with fake accounts calling people all sorts of names from Pelawatte. No matter what strategy we propose or discuss, you run smear campaigns instead of solving problems. That is why issues remain unsolved. Thank you.