The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 I need just a few more minutes.

¶ 02 The problematic practices I mentioned continue. I did not speak earlier at length about the Sports Ministry because it is not appropriate to dwell on a Ministry I once held. But I ask the current Minister to please act on what I have raised.

¶ 03 Today the President came to this House. Usually in April we hear only of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivities; today the President spoke of relief. Sri Lanka has about 5.5 to 5.7 million families, but only about 1.6 to 1.7 million receive the Aswesuma benefit. He has provided relief for Aswesuma beneficiaries; that is fine and needed. But what about the remaining 4.2 million families? What relief do they get? He said the Government will absorb Rs. 100 per litre of diesel. But we do not know the landed cost because no pricing formula has been presented. Fuel prices were increased on March 1, March 9, and March 21. Earlier, the Chair of Lanka IOC said Sri Lanka had 37 days of fuel stocks—i.e., until today, April 7. If so, why increase prices thrice within a month?

¶ 04 The President says the Government will bear Rs. 100 per litre of diesel, but how and from where? Without a pricing formula showing the landed cost and margins, we cannot verify. In effect, while giving Rs. 100 relief on diesel, the Government is pickpocketing Rs. 50 from the other side; while giving Rs. 20 on petrol, they take Rs. 50. Consumers lose Rs. 30 overall. I do not know how this formula was derived.