10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Hon. Bimal Rathnayake

Jathika Jana balawegaya· National List· 19 August 2025 ·Debate: Debate: Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill, Public Debt Management Act Regulations, and Foreign Exchange Act Regulations

Public FinanceInfrastructureCorruption & Governance Reform
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Hon. Bimal Rathnayake responded to criticism linking him to port sector issues, stating that the Government is rebuilding institutions affected by corruption and mismanagement rather than producing immediate results. He cited a reported 66 per cent increase in Sri Lanka Ports Authority profits in the first half of 2025, from Rs. 14,691 million to Rs. 24,418 million, and urged Members to acknowledge progress and not undermine port workers and professionals.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I must respond to the previous Member’s remarks connecting me to Ports. We are not miracle-workers; we are rebuilding institutions ruined by corruption and mismanagement. Progress takes time. When we achieve something, at least acknowledge it.

¶ 02 For example, per Maritime Gateway: “The Sri Lanka Ports Authority has posted a substantial 66 per cent rise in profits during the first six months of 2025, with earnings climbing from Rs. 14,691 million in the first half of 2024 to Rs. 24,418 million this year.” Profits rose by over Rs. 10 billion—66%. We can and will do better next year. Do not belittle port workers and professionals.

Provenance

Source
Hansard, Tuesday, 19 August 2025 ·No. 1755860432040633 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: Hon. Bimal Rathnayake. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 19 August 2025. No. 1755860432040633. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/6665