The Hon. Muneer Mulaffer - Deputy Minister of National Integration

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, since 2010 we repeatedly heard the refrain “the country is in danger” to stoke fear and retain power. After the war, people hoped for trust-building and solutions—but instead fear was weaponized, and the country was wrecked by those claiming to be “strong.” In 2019–2020, the so-called strongest Government led the country into queues and collapse.

¶ 02 Today, trust in Sri Lanka is returning internationally. Some again try to win votes by fearmongering. But to rebuild, we must first restore credibility at home. When we took office a year ago, development had been paralyzed since 2015. We have restarted many stalled projects in a short time—Kadawatha–Meerigama Central Expressway works, long-delayed school buildings, and critical education and health facilities.

¶ 03 People—both here and abroad—tell us that without this Government, Sri Lanka would have slid into becoming an “Iceland” of narcotics—a haven for drug barons—given the scale of seizures we have made; imagine if those had reached the streets. In the past, criminals, underworld figures, and drug traffickers were empowered; that has changed within a year.

¶ 04 We are building a new political culture—no credible accusations today that this Government is looting public assets for private luxury. Unlike past rulers who fueled communalism to cling to office, this Government has not nurtured racism in any circumstance.

¶ 05 We continue development: a leading newspaper on 23.07.2025 noted clearly that the Government is taking steps to raise national income. Exports and services are growing; tourism is rebounding strongly. We launched “Ruhunuring” to connect key southern destinations. As the President completes his first year, preparations are underway to commence development initiatives from the North as well. We accept more must be done across sectors—and we are moving in that direction.