The Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha

¶ 01 [11.03 a.m.]

¶ 02 Hon. Speaker, first I refer to the PUCSL decision to reduce electricity tariffs. The Government has agreed so that relief reaches the people. I urge that benefits flow to industry, producers, and households, especially housewives. Producers should reduce prices of goods and services accordingly.

¶ 03 On the Clean Sri Lanka Programme debate held yesterday and today: Why do we need this project? Not because the Government lacks alternatives, but because people’s lifestyles, the environment, and civic ethics require upliftment. To raise living standards and our environmental, social and ethical frameworks, we need an organized plan. There are many institutions—local authorities, state and non-state—but people’s attitudes and conduct have declined. National recovery needs an attitudinal shift.

¶ 04 We need good dietary habits; people must know their right to a proper meal and to improved living standards. Sri Lanka is ranked high among nations where people consume agrochemicals via food—we pay to eat poison. We must empower citizens and remove environmental causes.

¶ 05 Our rivers, canals, streams and sewers are polluted largely due to human activity, which harms health and the environment. We must build public understanding and empathy. Today empathy is lacking. A mother or working woman leaves at dawn after caring for family, only to find filth everywhere, then struggles through transport and harassment—97% of Sri Lankan women face sexual harassment on public transport. If children and women cannot feel safe outside, we cannot progress. We must create a society that respects women and cares for others—an ethical shift.

¶ 06 Through Clean Sri Lanka, we aim to align social, environmental and ethical practices. In my Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia area—densely urban—people leave for work and see urine-stained walls due to lack of public facilities. There are no proper bus lay-bys, restrooms, or clean places for drivers to refresh. Life improves when the environment improves; we must provide facilities and cultivate attitudes.

¶ 07 We also see people scavenging vegetables discarded by supermarkets to resell—what country have we built? Our children must get clean food. Tourist facilities like railway stations lack basic amenities; some foreigners travel back to Fort station just to use a toilet. Tourists now avoid polluted southern urban belts and go elsewhere. We need a plan to fix this.

¶ 08 After observing and discussing with stakeholders, we found persistent gaps: lack of public toilets, clean drinking points, clean food outlets, and accessibility for persons with disabilities. We engaged divisional secretariats and community organizations to design solutions—where to build toilets, drinking points, and how to sustain cleanliness. We raised awareness, identified problems, mobilized agencies, and sought short-, medium- and long-term solutions—the long-term being value-based, system-based social change.

¶ 09 A station master wrote after a collective clean-up: “With a united civic effort, we successfully completed this public labour operation. My respectful salutations to all citizens who contributed.” This spirit is what the country needs. We invite all to join in building an ethical, humane, environmentally caring nation. Thank you.