Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I wished to speak today on key problems in our areas. In Vavuniya District, agriculture and animal husbandry are the main livelihoods. Due to climate, economic factors, and damages from wild animals, farmers face major challenges. Facilities to sell their produce at fair prices are very limited.

¶ 02 In 2014, when I was a Provincial Council Member, we requested the then Government to establish an Economic Centre in Vavuniya to enable especially vegetable farmers to sell at fair prices. Rs. 260 million was allocated. After delays in selecting a site, construction was completed in 2018 at a cost of Rs. 263 million under the Ministry of Rural Economic Affairs. Today, that Economic Centre remains non-functional under that Ministry. The Rs. 263 million then would be worth Rs. 700–800 million today. Built with 52 stalls, it has still not opened for various reasons. Our farmers cannot sell at fair prices. I draw the Government’s attention: please operationalize it so farmers can easily sell at fair prices.

¶ 03 We all know our region endured over 30 years of war. We face the same national economic problems as the South. But in the North and East, beyond the national crisis, war destroyed assets, displaced people multiple times, and wiped out resources, causing a doubled economic burden. For over 70 years, Tamil people struggled for their rights — first non-violently, and when brutally repressed, in armed fashion against the State. Governments termed it terrorism; but fundamentally it was a struggle for equal political, economic, and social rights. Now the war has ended.

¶ 04 At one time, southern Sinhala youth also took up arms to change political culture. They had cordial relations with northern leftist liberation movements advocating common ownership. Southern armed movements accepted the Northern people’s issues. Whatever you call those struggles now, you accepted aspects of them then. Today, some of those southern youth represent the Government. As peoples who were both oppressed by the State, Governments should understand our issues more deeply than before.

¶ 05 The Tamil people’s economy is devastated. Sixteen years have passed since 2009. What have successive Governments done for economic development in the North and East? What plans were brought? Nothing substantial; people still live the same way. Our society has many widows, orphans, the disappeared, the disabled, those who fled — a large cohort with special needs. When you count them, over a third cannot stand on their own to run daily life. How can a society be healthy if over a third must live on others’ mercy?

¶ 06 People who lost faith in past Governments supported this new Government in the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, hoping it would not repeat past mistakes. I did not expect “magic” in 6–7 months, but people expected the Government to create basics so they can stand on their own and live by their labour. Even without large funds, many doable things have been missed.

¶ 07 Especially, people returning to their villages after 30 years find their lands absorbed by the Forest Department. They cannot access their paddy fields or tanks. The President has said every inch of land must be used for national production, yet hundreds of acres remain locked away and unused. Our people lack money and finance to uplift their economy, and even the feasible measures are not being done. I acknowledge some efforts, but please implement programmes that quickly enable people to stand on their own.

¶ 08 To develop our economy, we must bring investors to the Province. But those who seek land and to start ventures wander for years in administration. There are no effective measures to encourage them; I raise this accusation.

¶ 09 I refer to a Daily Mirror online report of 14 May 2025 about a US$62 million grant from India to develop the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Port. This is a grant, not a loan. KKS, a major northern port, lacks basic facilities. Today only a small vessel plies to Nagapattinam; larger cargo or passenger vessels cannot come. We have close economic ties with India. If the US$62 million grant is used to develop KKS Port, it will bring foreign exchange and uplift people’s economy. Yet we have heard “feasibility study” for a long time. Meanwhile, two loan-funded ports in Hambantota and the East are underutilized. Delaying KKS under the guise of feasibility will badly affect the national economy.

¶ 10 On the recent Local Government Elections: Tamil-speaking people in the North and East gave us significant support. But under the 60:40 system, many councils cannot be run by a single party; even with local pluralities, a party may lack council majorities. Therefore, parties and independents must work together to serve people’s basic needs.

¶ 11 To our Chief Government Whip, Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, whom I respect: a newspaper on the 15th reported he said, “No budget allocations for local bodies formed by the Opposition.” If so, that is shocking and must be clarified. He is a respected Minister. The report claimed only staff salaries would be paid and other allocations denied to councils formed through “conspiracies” by small groups. But the current electoral system itself creates such outcomes. If he indeed said this, it has caused sorrow among us; please clarify.

¶ 12 Ministers also claimed we won by distributing liquor. The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is firmly against liquor and drugs. Individuals may err, but as a party we do not support such practices.

¶ 13 We are not racists. We speak of self-determination for Tamil people; that is not racism. When we speak of our issues or remember thousands killed or disappeared 16 years ago, it is labeled racism. When you speak, it is called fraternity and human rights; when we speak, our rights are denied.

¶ 14 Particularly, the NPP/JVP Government too came to power through hardships. You can empathize with others’ pain. Leave party and vote politics aside. This is our country; all must be treated equally. If Sri Lankans are to live here as economically uplifted people, give us equal rights. If you sideline us and brand us as racists, this country will not move even a step forward. Thank you.