The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I wish to raise several matters today, especially since the Hon. Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development is present. First, vehicle ownership transfers. In recent years, after vehicle and motorcycle registrations, ownership transfers were done through provincial offices under an Assistant or Deputy Commissioner. There were five such offices—in Gampaha, Kurunegala, Jaffna, Anuradhapura and Hambantota—handling all tasks done in Colombo.

¶ 02 However, now in those districts, ownership transfers are limited only to selected series. I request that you restore the previous system and allow all provincial offices to process ownership transfers for all relevant series, not just selected ones. Presently, numbers in the “O,” “H,” and “JT” letter series—categories 64-65, 31-32—are registered only at the Head Office. Why? They could be registered at provincial offices, but they are kept at Head Office because of “big packet” dealings, where money flows into the hands of a few there. If you want to end corruption, decentralize registrations and ownership transfers back to the provinces. That will stop the grand theft and corruption at the Motor Traffic Department’s Head Office. Also, appoint a Commissioner as head of each such regional office and actually let them function. The current restrictions adversely affect state revenue.

¶ 03 Second, letters for annual revenue license waivers. Some need a letter from the Department when they have not paid for years. Even a person from Jaffna must come to Colombo to get it. If the vehicle book, emission test, owner’s NIC, and reasons for non-renewal are submitted, such letters should be issued from any regional office; no need to come to Colombo. I hear people pay from Rs. 3,000 up to Rs. 50,000 just to get such letters when they have not taken a revenue license for years. Please authorize regional offices to issue these letters, with the linked departmental system, and standardize the procedure.

¶ 04 Third, suspension of issuing permanent number plates. This is a massive problem. The process designed in 2023 led to about a 62% price increase under that contract. You have halted it now. Meanwhile, around 300,000 vehicles are on the road carrying A4 paper numbers. There is no system to issue plates; a year has passed since the Minister’s appointment, yet this is unresolved. With paper numbers, any crime can be committed: a shooter can remove a number and put another; theft becomes easy. Please implement a proper process urgently, and take action against officials who concluded that inflated deal at +62%. I hear you are working to cut costs by around 25% now; good, but hold accountable those who bound the department to the prior exorbitant contract.

¶ 05 Next, education. The post of Director (English) in this institution has been vacant since 2021. Since 2013, Dr. Darshana Samarawira has been acting. He was granted Acting Deputy Director General in 2021 without the requisite qualifications. The English Department runs without a substantive Director, and he has drafted all English modules. He has been sourcing content from a group in Anuradhapura lacking proper qualifications for this task; as a result, errors abound. Properly qualified teachers should have been engaged. No investigation has been conducted into Mr. Samarawira to date, and he was made permanent. He worked with the Janatha Balawegaya; his daughter contested from the Pannala Pradeshiya Sabha. CID is arresting and questioning many others, but there is silence regarding him. Please look into this.

¶ 06 On comprehensive sexuality education and gender content: an organization “Think Equal” and “The Grassrooted Trust” are channeling funds to groups like “Dabindu Collective,” which has an MP here. Globally, under COPPA in the USA and the UK Children’s Code, and the EU’s GDPR, minors under 16 are not engaged on such platforms without parental consent or independent moderation. Finland only allows classroom, teacher-moderated platforms. Here, you have allowed access through social media, which is dangerous. There is a difference between providing sex education and promoting sexual identities. Please investigate these programs and enforce proper standards for minors’ online engagement and content.

¶ 07 Finally, on judicial promotions and transfers: we requested a Parliamentary Special Committee on this one and a half to two months ago. No action yet, while a new promotions cycle has commenced. Judges have nowhere to raise concerns except with those who appointed them. Under Article 4 of the Constitution, judicial power is exercised through Parliament; Parliament has the right to inquire whether processes are fair, what procedures are used for appointments and promotions, etc. We requested a Special Committee; the Government is still withholding it. I urge the Hon. Speaker to take immediate steps. Thank you for the time.