Hon. Bimal Rathnayake

¶ 01 The people of this country have sent 159 Members to this Parliament who do not cheat even for a rupee and do not steal. That is the people’s victory. Justice has been served, and that is because of the people of this country. Today, corruption and fraud were at their peak around 2010. However, I am not saying that the bureaucracy is still the same.

¶ 02 In front of my Ministry — the Ministry of Industries and Industrial Development — I have put up a banner in all three languages: “You are entering a corruption- and bribery-free zone.” It also says, “If anyone asks you for a bribe, call this number,” and includes a WhatsApp number. There is such a banner in front of our Ministry. There is a reason for that. We know how corrupt the Ministry of Industries was in a certain era. To get a license from the National Gem and Jewellery Authority, you had to pay a bribe; to get a license for minerals from the GSMB — the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau — you had to pay a bribe; even to get a license from the Central Environmental Authority, you had to pay a bribe. Then investors do not come.

¶ 03 But look, Hon. Presiding Member, how many investors are coming to our country today. By the fourth month of 2025 — this quarter — we have received USD 650 million in foreign direct investments. In this quarter alone, FDI of USD 650 million has been received. For the whole of 2023, it was USD 483 million. For the whole of 2024, it was USD 724 million. There were 938 projects that year. The Chairman of the BOI has stated that during our time, within this quarter, 64 investment projects amounting to USD 650 million have been received. Hon. Minister Chamal Sampath says “fail, fail,” doesn’t he? Well, here is a pass — USD 650 million for the quarter. Our export income has also increased. Our tax-paying public — the business community, the entrepreneurs — are paying taxes. Throughout history, what have we always heard? “Entrepreneurs don’t pay taxes, Mr. Member. Even if we pay, it’s useless because you people steal.” We were told: why pay taxes when the bigwigs in government are stealing.

¶ 04 But that is not the case today. People are paying taxes. They willingly pay taxes. There are queues to obtain TIN numbers. Today, investors come to our country; world leaders come; foreign ministers come; we are in talks to sign agreements. Why? Because now this is a country. Earlier it had been turned into a wasteland. It had not been run as a country. There was an underworld in this country. There was a kleptocratic state. The people of this country waged a people’s struggle and cleansed this kleptocratic state. But a few remnants remain. Those remnants should be brought before the law — not hidden in Parliament or kept invisible to the public — and sent to an island if need be. I will stand for that.

¶ 05 Those who committed the bond scam must be taken in. Those who colluded with Ranil Wickremesinghe and that group must be brought in. Arjun Aloysius must be brought in. If we do not say it, who will? You do not say it. The Minister of Justice, Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, must say it clearly: “I will jail Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Rajapaksas.” I say the people of this country will not be unhappy to jail the Rajapaksas. The people know what they have done. The law must be enforced. Some people paid with their lives for those crimes — the Tennekoon Tajudeens paid with their lives; Lasantha Wickrematunge paid with his life. The people of this country must have justice for those crimes. Those are the facts. The Easter Sunday attacks are the same. We know it is difficult. Because when we took office, we had to work with officials who served under the previous regime. This is not easy. The people of this country must understand that. Together with intelligence officers, we must catch these thieves. The law must also be enforced for past wrongs committed by intelligence officers. The law must be enforced together with the senior police officers who are here, even against the former IGP. That is how it is. It is not easy; it is difficult. There are also judgments by certain judges from that time. It is not easy. Officers at the Attorney General’s Department say they were compelled to submit to those people as they wished in the past. They are not at fault — they were pressured. But now they have to work independently. However, it is difficult for some to act against the decisions they themselves previously took. It is very difficult for those who were enslaved to that service. Those who kept their spines straight then can keep them straight today as well. We bow our heads to them. Such great officers exist in the Police, in the Judiciary, in the Attorney General’s Department, and in the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. There were state officers who stood upright then; there are officers who stand upright today. For those who bowed their heads then, it is a bit difficult today. That is what we say. I am asking the Minister of Justice to enforce the law. Even if you have no one else, you have the blessings of the people. You must exercise that power. What are the people saying? We gave you power — now implement it.

¶ 06 On this historic day when we have given new life to SriLankan Airlines, which was to be sold, I conclude by expressing my happiness that the orders brought under the Anti-Corruption Act are being approved by Parliament.

¶ 07 Thank you very much.

¶ 08 Question put, and agreed to.