The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment

¶ 01 Sir, I am pleased to speak on the adjournment Motion moved by Hon. Kabir Hashim. He accuses the Governor of suspending 47 rural roads and several other development projects and says the sovereignty of the people of Mawanella has been humiliated. In truth, it is Hon. Kabir Hashim and his allies who undermined the people’s mandate in Mawanella. In the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, and in the Local Government election, the National People’s Power won in Mawanella—19 out of 24 wards. When all Opposition members agreed to work with NPP, under your pressure the people’s mandate was subverted and the PS was taken by force. You initiated a thuggish, corrupt administration there. Now that administration, including the Chairman, is in difficulty.

¶ 02 Therefore, I request Hon. Kabir Hashim to allow them to govern without interference. Do not distort the people’s rights and the mandate again.

¶ 03 The Governor has done nothing wrong here. A committee has been appointed to inquire, and until its report is received, activities have been temporarily suspended. So do not mislead Parliament with distorted information.

¶ 04 You also say not to stop services to the people of Mawanella. Under your influence, some proposals being pushed are private, serving certain supporters rather than the broader public interest. Hence, until the committee completes its inquiry, they have been temporarily held. Please do not mislead this House.

¶ 05 I also ask: how many ministerial posts have you held and how long have you represented Mawanella? Yet you could not bring development to Mawanella town. Even without control of the PS, we will uphold the mandate given to us at the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Elections, and we are bringing needed development.

¶ 06 You could not upgrade the Mawanella bus stand. We have commenced expanding it and about 80 per cent is completed. Mawanella is the most populous electorate in Kegalle, with Muslims and Sinhalese living harmoniously and with the largest voter base. Mawanella Hospital serves the largest number in Kegalle; we laid the foundation for a five-storey on-call doctors’ quarters building allocating Rs. 142 million. We have begun developing the Mawanella depot on the Kandy–Colombo road, and initiated work to conserve the historic Mawanella stone bridge. There was no proper stormwater drainage for the town—now we are intervening. We are also advancing plans to develop Mawanella as a tourist zone. Therefore, do not mislead Parliament. Your allegations that the Governor has been unfair to taxpayers, violated fiscal policy, and acted contrary to the law are unfounded. If projects had proceeded without inquiry, the very injustices you mention could have occurred. The Governor has taken the correct steps; activities will proceed according to the inquiry outcome.