The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe - Deputy Minister of Labour

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, this is our Government’s second Budget. We have so far heard only a couple of Opposition speeches. Once we hear the rest, we will see how confused they are.

¶ 02 You, Hon. Deputy Speaker, know the state of the country we took over on 21 September last year, and then fully from 14 November. The people have not forgotten, even if the Opposition front bench has: a country broken on every front. Step by step we have lifted it. Today, all economic indicators are improving. But the Opposition “economic experts” still cannot grasp even small points and are confused.

¶ 03 In this Budget, the President has clearly laid out our path for 2026. We must diversify exports and uplift SMEs, with unsecured and low-interest credit. We never promised zero-interest loans; we promised unsecured loans at low interest for MSMEs and startups, allocating over Rs. 80 billion.

¶ 04 One Opposition MP said youths had five key demands, including entrepreneurship. We have allocated funds for that, but he ignored it. The reality is: if you read this Budget line by line, there is little left for them to criticize — hence the distractions.

¶ 05 We allocated Rs. 654 billion to rebuild the broken health system — most of our people are poor, lack adequate facilities and medicines; hospitals are in disrepair. We also allocated a record Rs. 704 billion for education, with reforms commencing next year and numerous programs. Last year’s Budget already set records for health and education; this year we have exceeded those for 2026.

¶ 06 Some Opposition members rushed out to give voice cuts and spread misinformation. One TV channel claimed Rs. 12,500 million was allocated to purchase cabs for MPs. That is false. Rs. 12,500 million is allocated for leasing payments to procure essential vehicles and machinery for Government institutions and local authorities: 1,775 for Government institutions and 700 for local authorities, totaling about 2,700 — not for 225 MPs. Do not mislead the public.

¶ 07 We do not seek credit for economic recovery; let anyone take the credit. What we seek is the responsibility to rebuild the fallen country — not to claim accolades.

¶ 08 Hon. Harsha de Silva criticized 7 percent growth as inadequate. He forgets that under the 2015–2019 Sirisena–Ranil–Sajith Government — of which he was part — growth fell from 5.2 percent to about 2 percent. Our plan is to push from 4.6 percent in Q1 last year to 4.8 percent in Q1 this year, 4.9 percent by Q3, and then to 7 percent, and by 2028–2030 to 9–10 percent. It cannot be done in one jump, but that is our target and roadmap.

¶ 09 He asked how we build houses for Rs. 1 million. Come to Gampaha. We have completed 218 houses; we will show you. This is a people’s movement with volunteers and local committees contributing — check the social media: see the before-and-after of homes.

¶ 10 For public servants, beyond the first Budget’s increases, we have allocated another Rs. 110 billion for 2026 salary increases, and from January an additional Rs. 220 billion — the largest wage hike in history. We raised the public service Festival Advance from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000, increased Disaster Loans from Rs. 250,000 to Rs. 400,000 previously and now are allocating a further Rs. 10,000 million for disbursement. We have increased the difficult-area allowance for teachers and principals by Rs. 1,500 (e.g., from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 3,000; from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 4,000), and raised the principals’ allowance as well. We will also regularize about 9,800 public servants.

¶ 11 This Budget provides relief nationwide while lifting the economy. The Opposition cannot see the good. We have five Budgets in our term; do not exhaust your talking points now — save some for the fifth. We will continue to advance the initial steps we began, moving the country forward and resolving long-standing issues. Thank you for the time, Hon. Deputy Speaker.