The Hon. (Mrs.) Deepthi Wasalage

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, thank you for the opportunity to speak during this Adjournment Debate on the theme “Clean Sri Lanka; a Super-Clean Sri Lanka.”

¶ 02 Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with a valuable geographic location, rich in natural resources, with a hospitable people, and among the top 25 countries to visit. Yet today, how do we stand? We have become a nation ridiculed before the world. The Opposition says, “Do not talk about 76 years of political history; speak about the future.” But who is responsible for the crises created? The political camps represented by the Opposition governed for 76 years after Independence and created severe crises in every sector. Now they demand that we resolve, within two months, the grave crises they nurtured for 76 years. Is that fair?

¶ 03 We must discuss our political history because it bears responsibility. Across that history we saw so-called “people’s representatives” looting public funds, engaging in anti-social activities and corruption. We did not see genuine people’s representatives. Our political history created crises in education, health, rule of law, economy, culture — everything. The dignity of public representatives was destroyed.

¶ 04 I live in Matale District. Many ministers once represented this House from there. Yet, in Ratthota, people could not get even a basic need — clean water — due to political failure. Should we not now clean this country? The people initiated that cleaning. In last year’s Presidential and General Elections, the people took into their hands the political cleansing of Parliament and gave us a massive mandate to completely change the political culture. Our President is historic: since Independence no leader gained such cross-regional, cross-ethnic trust to unify the nation beyond race, religion, and caste. To free ourselves from these problems, we must talk about them.

¶ 05 Like answering an exam question, we must repeatedly read and comprehend the questions created by the political camps you represent — we will write the answers over the next five years. While we do so, we will have to repeatedly discuss in this House the problems your camps created. It may shake your hearts, but you must listen, because your authority intervened to create these national problems.

¶ 06 “Clean Sri Lanka” is not only about environmental cleaning — drains and garbage. It is social, ethical, and environmental cleanliness. Some in the Opposition trivialize this as merely garbage collection and drain clearing. Their inability to grasp the broader theme is regrettable.

¶ 07 Environmentally, politics has altered the atmosphere’s composition. For 76 years we failed to build an efficient public transport system, pushing private vehicle use, congestion, accidents, fossil fuel combustion, and raising atmospheric CO2. Unsystematic garbage disposal increased greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane, intensifying greenhouse effects, changing climate and rainfall patterns, bringing floods and droughts, causing property and life losses. We must protect the atmosphere by creating efficient public transport and systematic waste management. As the National People’s Power, we are establishing such programmes.

¶ 08 In education, our exam-centered, competitive system produces children rich in knowledge but poor in attitude and social sensitivity. To make Clean Sri Lanka a reality, we are preparing education reforms to produce knowledgeable children with changed mindsets and skills, sensitive to society and environment, and to socialize them as responsible citizens. I call on academics, educationists, principals, teachers and students to join us courageously to make this programme a success, so our motherland becomes a developed state conquering the world.

¶ 09 Under Clean Sri Lanka, politics must be clean; the public service must be clean; the people must be clean. Let us all together make the age-old dream of a Super-Clean Sri Lanka a reality. I invite even the Opposition to join us — let us build a better, prosperous, happy country.