The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe - Deputy Minister of Labour

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and Development — our Hon. President Anura Dissanayake — presented our Government’s first Budget — the first of our five-year journey. It is a historic, transformative Budget. Those on the Opposition side who once spoke of selling “Thriposha” factories now raise various alarms — nothing to ask about that. When money is allocated to start and sustain these programmes, of course the Opposition will be agitated.

¶ 02 Listening to the previous speech reminded me of Pandit Amaradeva’s lyric “The lady I once loved now teaches her son the flute.” Let us set aside the noise and focus on scholarly discussion. Yesterday’s Budget is historic — after over seven decades during which this country was broken, made a paradise for the corrupt, and productive capacity destroyed, increasing poverty from six to twenty-four lakh families — this Budget aims to build a productive economy, moving away from rural poverty. So, we are not surprised the Opposition is restless.

¶ 03 Even some media personalities told us: in 30 years of Budget debates, this is the most meaningful. Many in the country say similar things; some analysts also pointed out positive elements. Some cannot digest it — perhaps out of malice. They expected a Ranil-led Government to continue and deliver a Budget; now, sitting in Opposition, they say strange things.

¶ 04 Mr. Speaker

¶ 05 Order, please! At this point, the Hon. Speaker will leave the Chair.

¶ 06 Whereupon THE HON. SPEAKER left the Chair, and DEPUTY SPEAKER [THE HON. (DR.) RIZVIE SALIH] took the Chair.