The Hon. Kins Nelson

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I speak on a vital subject: national and public security, under which lie economic, energy, environmental, health, and food security. Looking at economic security, do we have confidence? When the Opposition highlights matters, the Government calls them allegations. But these topics are brought here — we cannot lie under parliamentary privilege.

¶ 02 Take the Central Bank: around US$ 2.5 million has allegedly been misappropriated; investigations are ongoing; four officials have been sent on leave. Who instructed them? In any private company, decisions come from the top — a peon cannot decide. Are orders going bottom-up or top-down? We get no clear answers though we have discussed this for three days.

¶ 03 Next, the Department of Posts reportedly lost close to US$ 600,000 paid to the US Postal Service. These are new issues emerging. When we point them out, the reply is “more thefts happened before.” Those thieves were defeated — the people gave you overwhelming power expecting change. Can you now safeguard that mandate? Today, in the Kurunegala Municipal Council, your top vote-getter resigned, stating: “We said we’d catch thieves and end corruption, but nothing happens. We are ashamed.” He resigned after that statement.

¶ 04 On energy: the innocent public is bearing the consequences. If the responsible Minister had acted properly, he would not have had to resign. Did the problem end with his resignation? No. I am not one to make baseless accusations. You came to power to fight corruption; where is the change the people expected?

¶ 05 On public safety: from 31 Dec 2024 to 31 Dec 2025 there have been 122 shootings with 68 deaths. Perhaps neither you nor we can fully stop underworld crime, but still, questions arise: who took money from the Central Bank? From the Department of Posts? Who took nearly Rs. 13 billion from NDB? Why were some RDA contractors paid twice? You should be ashamed. You have capable ministers — yet unsuitable appointments are being made.