The Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage - Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, today we are debating the Rescue, Rehabilitation and Insolvency (Corporate and Personal) Bill. This Bill is presented to enable an important discussion and to address the need to revive failing businesses and, where necessary, to wind them up efficiently by expediting the liquidation process. We know businesses can fail not only due to the entrepreneur’s own shortcomings but also because of external factors. In such cases, we must create opportunities to help them recover, restart, or begin anew. Unfortunately, opportunities in Sri Lanka have often been limited.

¶ 02 Taking into account the bankruptcies and insolvencies in our country, this Bill contains special provisions that will help our future entrepreneurs operate more easily and productively in Sri Lanka. That is why we discuss and bring this Bill.

¶ 03 However, Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Opposition appears uninterested in the substance of the Rescue, Rehabilitation and Insolvency Bill. Some parties and persons in the Opposition themselves are in need of “rehabilitation,” having fallen into political insolvency, as is evident from their May Day platforms.

¶ 04 Let me also touch on cricket. Cricket runs in our people’s veins; it is a national passion, with a World Cup title and many world-famous players. Yet, for over a decade, our international and domestic cricket have declined. Successive governments, ministers and even presidents failed to find a solution. We studied the problem, worked with committees, and, with the keen interest and guidance of the President, sought both domestic and international inputs. Our school and district cricket have also deteriorated; producing new players and clubs has stalled.

¶ 05 Recently, the Sri Lanka Cricket Chairman and the elected office-bearers resigned, accepting their failure, especially after the last World Cup. As the Line Minister, I have appointed an Interim Cricket Committee. We appointed Mr. Eran Wickramaratne, a competent administrator, politician, and former cricketer, as Chairman, and included eight world-renowned former cricketers such as Sidath Wettimuny, Kumar Sangakkara, and Roshan Mahanama. The Opposition, which demanded change at SLC, is now trying to shift the discussion elsewhere. We are focused on transformation and regaining lost glory through the Cricket Transformation Committee, selecting capable Sri Lankan citizens regardless of religion, ethnicity, or region. We believe this Committee will take Sri Lankan cricket into a new era of success. Thank you.