The Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I must speak on the current government’s actions. When the Hon. Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar spoke, other Ministers did not wear headphones, but when I speak, they put them on—so I believe they are eager to hear our views. We are not scolding you; we are speaking about what has been done.

¶ 02 A country cannot be developed by overtaxing people and calling that development. Real development comes from increasing domestic production, exports, and revenue derived therefrom. While many problems persist, you are doing one good thing: fighting corruption. But fighting corruption alone is not enough. You must raise the living standards of the middle class and those below the poverty line. This government has not done so.

¶ 03 From bankruptcy the country is recovering somewhat, but we must also address the issues of the poor and middle classes. Focusing only on the upper strata is not suitable. Many cars are being imported—fine—but policies to relieve the burdens of those at the bottom are lacking. Urban residents may have adequate salaries; but in the plantation sector and villages, people struggle to earn an income. We need measures to raise their incomes.

¶ 04 Small-scale industrialists cannot continue: factories are closing due to high electricity bills, taxes, and rising labour costs, which raise production costs and hinder sales. Please act accordingly.

¶ 05 Rice is our staple. The controlled price is Rs. 260 per kilo, but mills sell at around Rs. 310. How can retailers sell at Rs. 260 if they buy at Rs. 310? You take action against small retailers for not selling at the controlled price, but unless you control wholesale/mill-gate prices, such enforcement is unfair. Focus on controlling the mill-level price.

¶ 06 Today 24.6 percent live in poverty—up from about 13 percent under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Even with Aswesuma payments, poverty has not been eliminated. Tourism is improving—good. Use tourism revenue to reduce poverty.

¶ 07 Plantation people are getting houses—good—but they were promised before too. Provide genuine, enforceable guarantees; do not just issue papers and deceive them.

¶ 08 Like the NPP today, in Delhi Anna Hazare fought corruption, then Kejriwal became Chief Minister and performed well—twice. But when people suffer, even good policies are rejected. Keep that in mind.

¶ 09 The Hon. Minister Samantha Viddyarathna is present. I hope he will respond today on the New Villages Development Authority for Plantation Region (NEVIDA). Hon. Presiding Member, please allow a minute from my time for his reply.