The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, firstly, let me state that at the Party Leaders’ Meeting under your leadership, no one in the Opposition agreed to sit only until 12.30 p.m. today. We asked to use the whole day. If it is that urgent, why sit until 12.30 p.m.? Start action immediately. This is impractical. On Thursday we called for emergency to get the Government machinery moving to protect development; yet it became operational only by Saturday.

¶ 02 I table that on 28th November Hon. Harshana Suriyaaratchchi submitted a letter at the Procurement Committee. It stated that the Procurement Committee established during the UNP period should proceed accordingly. If, two weeks after concluding tender work, implementation had started—yet impracticality is what is being proved. We are not seeking political advantage under the President’s leadership; mere circulars will not deliver relief. In Colombo District—Avissawella, Homagama, Kolonnawa, Colombo North—many affected people have not yet received even a single lunch packet because officials fear the Procurement Committee—asking why a lunch packet and not a loaf of bread, etc. We need to open this up and act, not just talk. “12.30 p.m.” was a wrong interpretation; we said we would agree to pass everything if necessary. On Friday, we very clearly said we would facilitate this. We still say that. By 5th December we will pass all Heads in Committee Stage. We need to speak; not only Party Leaders, our MPs too came today having paused their ground work because they promised to speak. We must inform the public through this House.

¶ 03 It is also said the Opposition is not helping. As the UNP, we are coordinating assistance. The Procurement Committee approach is wrong. On insurance: for the first time, banks in Sri Lanka agreed—during our time—we paid a premium of Rs. 330 million and received Rs. 5.5 billion for issues in Kolonnawa. When we ask to implement such mechanisms now, who is to act? We never agreed to limit debate to 12.30 p.m. We wanted the full day and offered full cooperation. Therefore, the Government must explain why it is not providing democratic space today.

¶ 04 Main Business:

¶ 05 Order Paper Item No. 1, Appropriation Bill, 2026 – Committee Stage – Eighteenth Allotted Day.