The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security

¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, due to the war situation in the Middle East, we have experienced certain adverse impacts. These have caused price volatility in fuel, gas, and electricity. In such situations that burden the people, we are standing with them and providing relief. We have allocated Rs. 10,000 million for this purpose. We have always said we will use our recent economic gains to protect the lives of ordinary people.

¶ 02 Accordingly, if there is any future revision to electricity tariffs, a portion will be borne by the Government as a subsidy. We have already announced this. We have increased the fertilizer subsidy, and beyond that, for this season, if fertilizer prices rise, the Government has decided to absorb a cost so that farmers can get fertilizer at the old price. We have also extended the harvest relief for several months. The aim is to channel the hard-won economic recovery to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people and those affected by various calamities.

¶ 03 In this context, we must continue to strengthen essential services and the mandate of the Commissioner-General of Essential Services. Therefore, it is necessary to carry forward these provisions and extend them. That is the proposal we place before this House, and the objective of this debate is to obtain approval for it.

¶ 04 I also wish to address issues raised yesterday and today. Concerns were raised regarding changes to police recruitment qualifications and police vacancies. We have already recruited 200 trainee Sub Inspectors to police colleges. We are also proceeding to recruit a further 10,000. Interviews for 1,400 have concluded, and within a short period they will be admitted to five police colleges. Interviews are ongoing for another 7,800. To improve career progression and quality in the Police Service, we made some changes to educational qualifications. We are reviewing these to broaden opportunities and will make any necessary adjustments.

¶ 05 I must also emphasize a special matter. An Opposition MP, in a media briefing, referred to me by name—referring to the Minister in charge of Police—and made false statements regarding the Department of Immigration and Emigration’s e-passport tender. I intend to take legal action. We know well how tenders were handled when those Opposition groups governed; there was a time when no competitive tenders were called and unsolicited proposals were pursued without transparency, leading to massive corruption. People of this country know this.

¶ 06 The statements made about the e-passport are entirely false. Contrary to the MP’s claim, the e-passport tender has not yet been awarded; it is still under process. The e-passport procurement commenced under the previous government. Some companies have gone to court. We are acting within the applicable constraints. When we assumed office, there were passport queues stretching 2–3 kilometres. We opened the office 24 hours, managed the situation, and normalized it. Due to corrupt dealings, some companies have gone to court. The PKI component (Public Key Infrastructure) of the e-passport has also been litigated. Several bidders submitted proposals; one company has gone to the Court of Appeal and there is no final judgment yet. Once the matter is placed before Cabinet, it will be referred to the Procurement Commission for its view. Therefore, claims that the tender has been awarded are baseless. Some Opposition MPs, appearing on behalf of interested companies and persons accused of bribery and corruption who bankrupted the country, are pointing fingers at our transparent process. We sense a conspiracy here. All tenders presented after the National People’s Power Government assumed office are being handled transparently.

¶ 07 We assure this House: from our local authority members to the President, no one in our political process is involved in theft or fraud of even a single rupee. We do not engage in such acts. The people know this. We swear to it.

¶ 08 Question put, and agreed to.