The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Clean Sri Lanka national program. This is indeed a program our country needs. I am happy with many aspects that have been achieved through it.

¶ 02 There is a need to clean many things. In politics, the economy, and the social structure, this program must be advanced. We are certainly ready to work together and support the Government’s good initiatives through this program.

¶ 03 Looking at the vision and mission, it is clear the aim is to bring about sustainable social changes among the people living in Sri Lanka. This is not a program for one community alone; we wish to consider it as a program for all communities living in this country and work with you. In the goals you have set, you emphasize long-term cultural and behavioral changes. Without positive behavior change, we cannot move this program forward. Behavior change is a long process; it cannot be brought about overnight and takes time. It must start with us; we must demonstrate it first.

¶ 04 I was able to see a PowerPoint presentation related to Clean Sri Lanka. There were many good points. However, perhaps by mistake, it was only in two languages and did not include Tamil. I am not blaming anyone, but if we are to start with behavior change here, include Tamil as well. Behavior change needs time; I hope that in future the presentation will be updated to include Tamil.

¶ 05 Next, the meaning of the names given to Government programs must be understood by the people. Tamil-speaking people do not understand certain Sinhala terms used as titles. If the title itself is not understood, how can a program succeed? For example, what is the Tamil equivalent for “Aswesuma”? Please ensure proper Tamil translations are provided. Through the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, Tamil became an administrative language in the North and East where Tamil speakers are the majority. So, when you use such terms, please include the Tamil equivalents.