The Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

¶ 02 They now talk about casinos. Those days they ridiculed us saying we were trying to build the economy with casinos and cannabis. But we are happy that those who said so have now included both casinos and cannabis in their own economic policies—and, not only included them, they are working even harder than us to socialize and operationalize them.

¶ 03 Now to state revenue. Yes, you are increasing taxes without limit and piling taxes on the people. Then the Government boasts that revenue has increased. Hon. Deputy Speaker, what do the people get in return for this so-called increase? You said electricity tariffs would be reduced. You said by 33 percent. None of that happened. These are your own promises, not ours.

¶ 04 You said fertilizer subsidies don’t arrive on time. You said the Government won’t buy paddy. You came to power promising to end the rice mafia “with one stroke of the pen,” yet you continue to import rice regularly. Previously you accused Ministers of taking commissions to import rice. What do you say now?

¶ 05 In the past, a kilo of rice was Rs. 180. Let us look at today’s price. The Hon. Minister of Trade is seated here—let us ask what a kilo costs now. Meanwhile, the farmer? The maximum price for 5-moisture paddy is Rs. 93 per kilo; for “Weli” paddy it is Rs. 105. Farmers’ incomes have collapsed, and the Government is not intervening to protect them.

¶ 06 You said you would build roads; but we saw culverts being closed. You said you would provide electricity and water; we saw people struggle even to open a tap or take a bus. With the increased revenue, what relief have you given the people? None. Earlier you accused such measures as theft; today we don’t make baseless allegations, but what is hidden will come out, and the Government seems already prepared to cover it up.

¶ 07 On one hand, you infinitely hike taxes; on the other, you are driving the entire public service and state machinery to collapse. You politicize the youth movement; now you are trying to politicize the judiciary as well. The latest doctrine is to subject the judiciary to political control. The Presidential Secretary acts according to the President’s wishes: appointing the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and appointing the CID Director from the President’s political platform. Now you are trying to extend political control to the judiciary too. We urge the Government to stop this.

¶ 08 Our judiciary has functioned independently. Do not be ready to politicize it. We know judges hearing cases of those in the front row have been transferred. The whole country knows whose cases these are. You talk about our lands; we do not even have a proper house to stay in when we go to Anuradhapura, while some of you have houses with washrooms to spare. We do not envy you. But let the judiciary act independently. Do not bring political interference into judicial appointments and transfers. You have politicized the police; you attempt to politicize the military. We saw a former Army Commander identified by LTTE intelligence being remanded; meanwhile you act differently when hartals happen in the North. You yourselves trained people to close shops by sending chits; we know this culture well. Do not build a new political culture where, under the guise of attracting investors, you destroy the public service and politicize institutions.

¶ 09 If, while we speak, gunmen can shoot people at junctions, will investors come? If you try to bring the judiciary under your grip, will investors come—no matter what Bill you bring to Parliament?

¶ 10 On tourism: you say you will issue driving licences at the airport to any tourist. Anyone with an international driving licence can drive here; you don’t need to issue local licences at the airport. Your policy harms small and medium tourism operators in villages and towns. You accuse foreigners of running hotels and restaurants illegally; we raised this many times here. Previously, a tourist could only rent a car with an international licence. Now, even hiring is shifting to foreign operators, undermining our local SMEs. When you take decisions by listening only to a few big business interests, and make political and economic decisions for those few, expect consequences.

¶ 11 The President recently said the Central Bank holds a trillion rupees in reserves. If so, why can’t you buy paddy? Why can’t you repair village schools? Why can’t you pay the dues to sugarcane growers at Sevanagala and Pelwatte? Why can’t you intervene to reduce the cost of living and deliver fairness? Why does the Government just watch while a handful of businessmen run the economy? When asked, you say there’s a trillion rupees and the economy is recovering—yet the people see no benefit. If there’s no public benefit, no development, no infrastructure, and debt isn’t being paid until 2028, where is the money you claim to raise going? Tell this House and inform the people.

¶ 12 You must also take full responsibility for dismantling the state machinery. You claim a right to lie inside Parliament—confirmed by the President himself—while warning people not to lie outside. We say this: these laws are fine; make the system so that they can be implemented in practice. If you claim US$500 million in FDI arrived, table the details: from which company, who the investor is, and into what project. We know many apparel factories closed; who is actually investing? One day you say Rs. 4 billion in planned investments; next, you say US$500 million has arrived. Into which project? And please, do not ask the Prime Minister to answer—then everyone gangs up to scold him. Let the line Minister respond.

¶ 13 Above all, let the public service and judiciary function independently. Let the police act independently. Do not pin every organized crime on the Opposition to save yourselves. Ensure people’s safety. Only then will investors come along with these Bills. Otherwise, these are not your policies; they are IMF prescriptions. Even if you implement IMF policies, you must ensure the safety of the citizens. Thank you.