The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, we were asked to show at least one unimplemented item from this policy statement. I wish to point to page 105, which promised a new Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) framework and a new IMF agreement under new conditions. That has not been implemented. The current Government is proceeding under the DSA used by the previous Government. That is one unimplemented pledge—there are many more.

¶ 02 Secondly, I wish to reiterate what the incumbent President repeatedly promised from public stages: reduce electricity tariffs by 33%; cut a Rs. 9,000 bill to Rs. 6,000; cut a Rs. 3,000 bill to Rs. 2,000; provide relief by reducing tariffs by 33%. Instead, tariffs were increased by 15% and now another 6.8% hike is being prepared. All this is being done without proper cost calculation and without transparent fuel supply agreements. I must ask: did the people elect 159 MPs to Parliament for Sri Lanka to dance to the IMF’s tune? This Government has become a puppet of the IMF. People voted for this Government not to perform as the IMF dictates, but to deliver change within an IMF framework.

¶ 03 From 2028, we face annual external debt service of USD 5 billion. What does the US State Department say about our investment climate? In its “2025 Investment Climate Statements: Sri Lanka”, it flags numerous weaknesses: mixed signals, policy reversals, institutional and bureaucratic failures, regulatory unpredictability, transparency and governance concerns, structural barriers, and burdens from state-owned enterprises. The United States—our largest destination for apparel exports—says Sri Lanka does not have a conducive investment climate.

¶ 04 The World Bank says poverty remains high. Poverty traps have formed. Real wages and labor-force participation are lower than in 2019. Household purchasing power is constrained. Labor market normalization is sluggish; job creation is weak. Malnutrition is high; food prices remain elevated. The poor spend three times more of their income on food than the rich. Pressures in health and education have grown. Many are below or near the poverty line. The Centre for Poverty Analysis estimates close to 50% of Sri Lankans are affected by poverty.

¶ 05 Given this, can we truly be satisfied with FDI inflows, new entrepreneurship, reduced unemployment, increased money in people’s hands, effective poverty alleviation, and robust export promotion? At this trajectory, when the USD 5 billion annual debt service from 2028 becomes due, we will face a raft of challenges.

¶ 06 On Geneva: we heard that among 47 countries, 43 spoke favorably about Sri Lanka and state policy. If 43 of 47 spoke favorably, why did we fail to translate those into supportive votes against the Geneva resolution? I have the list of 47: Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Sudan, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Georgia, North Macedonia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland. If 43 spoke well of Sri Lanka, why could we not secure 43 supportive votes? This exposes severe weaknesses in our state diplomatic policy.

¶ 07 After the 2009 war victory, Sri Lanka could win in Geneva: 29 in favor, 12 against. The chief reason was robust, effective diplomacy—especially under Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka then. On his singular strength Sri Lanka secured 29 supportive votes. This time, despite 43 speaking well, we couldn’t even convert them into votes. We must learn lessons from this failure, unite beyond divisions of ethnicity, religion, caste, class, and resolve issues domestically through transparency and national unity.

¶ 08 Hon. Deputy Speaker: I conclude by urging the Government to explain to this House and the country why 43 positive statements could not be converted into votes. Also, recall that in 2009 we prevailed under strong diplomatic leadership—let us learn from that and move forward as a nation. Thank you.