The Hon. S.M. Marikkar

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, today we are debating Regulations under the Anti-Corruption Act—not the Act itself. Enforcing the law is not only about arrests and jail; we must also recover stolen public funds. We were told about “Uganda gold” coming to Sri Lanka; later it was denied. If vast sums were stolen, do not stop at arrests; recover the money to the Treasury.

¶ 02 Waste is also corruption. Regarding the “kerosene lamps to fishermen” case, vast sums were spent without benefits—where is accountability? For four months we have asked about 323 containers: whose containers, what was inside, and what was the loss? Still no answers, no investigation outcomes.

¶ 03 Governors are allegedly summoning opposition councillors to their homes at night to switch sides. A Governor appointed by the President cannot engage in partisan politics. If you do the right thing, you can govern long; if you do wrong, you must be accountable.

¶ 04 On projects: Dambulla has a stadium—before building more complexes like at Thambuttegama, where is the Return on Investment? What are maintenance costs and projected revenues? If you proceed without ROI, this becomes another Hambantota: airports, conference halls, and stadiums that generated debt without returns.

¶ 05 This year’s budget deficit requires an additional USD 8.3 billion in borrowing if revenue targets are met; otherwise more. So every project must be justified, not done for show. If existing legal provisions are insufficient to recover proceeds of crime, bring amendments—we will support with both hands. Do not stage-manage arrests; deliver results and recover the money.