The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, thank you for the opportunity to speak on Day One of the debate on the first Budget presented by the Hon. President, the Minister of Finance.

¶ 02 Total expenditure of Rs. 4,218.2 billion has been presented. However, clear details of the revenue side were not articulated yesterday. Of total spending, 69 percent — Rs. 2,898.1 billion — is for recurrent expenditure; only 31 percent — Rs. 1,320.2 billion — is for investment. For economic growth, capital formation must be prioritized over recurrent spending. As those now governing in a time of crisis, you must focus on lifting and rebuilding Sri Lanka’s fallen economy.

¶ 03 Nearly 11 percent of total expenditure has been allocated to defence. There is no war; no clatter of arms. Yet, Rs. 442 billion is allocated to defence. While allocations for health and education are welcome, in Tamil areas people have not been fully resettled; their lands have not been returned; lands have been appropriated; there is an excessive military presence. Allocating around 11 percent to defence is not conducive to economic growth. We oppose this and wish to record our objection.

¶ 04 If the economy is to grow, unity among the country’s communities must be strengthened. The Hon. President, in concluding his Budget Speech, said he sees an opportunity for a united, clean, prosperous Sri Lanka. But how will the identities and distinctiveness of Sri Lanka’s communities — Tamil, Sinhala, Up-country Tamil, and Muslim — be protected within a united Sri Lanka? Will language-based national communities live under one umbrella with dignity? Will this happen under your tenure? If we are to join hands to build a prosperous Sri Lanka, there must be clean intentions, clean laws, and clean practices that people can trust. How will you create such practices?

¶ 05 The President called on the diaspora — people with Sri Lankan roots — to return and help build prosperity. You know the Tamil diaspora is a significant force and many hold affection for you. Yet, for long, those in Government avoid discussing the core political problem of the Tamil people — they hesitate to talk about it. Yesterday the President also mentioned the visionary Lee Kuan Yew. Singapore once wished to overtake Sri Lanka; so did Japan and Korea. But Sri Lanka remains in the same place as in the 1940s; those countries are now lenders to Sri Lanka. The reason: unity and strength in those countries. In Singapore, Tamil is a national language with priority. When you invite the diaspora to return, they will ask: how will Sri Lanka recognize the Tamils’ basic rights, political rights, and their status as a national people? Please reflect on this.

¶ 06 “Federalism” has been discussed in Sri Lankan politics for nearly 100 years. By 2026, it will be a century since the term was first uttered here. On 17 July 1926, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike wrote in the Ceylon Morning Leader about a federal arrangement among three units — coastal Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese, and the Tamils of the North and East — and spoke similarly when he addressed youth in Jaffna. This is a crucial matter.