The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa

¶ 01 Akila Ellawala – Rs. 3,554,250. Chamal Rajapaksa – Rs. 6,539,374. Chandima Weerakkody – Rs. 6,948,800. Ashoka Priyantha – your friend – Rs. 7,295,000, compensation for Ashoka Priyantha’s property damage. You all know how he came to Parliament. Samanpriya Herath – Rs. 10.528 million. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon – Rs. 10.558 million. Kanchana Wijesekera – Rs. 11.648 million.

¶ 02 Consultant Physician Seetha Arambepola – Rs. 13.788 million. Sahan Pradeep – Rs. 17.13 million. Shehan Semasinghe – Rs. 18.518 million. Indika Anuruddha – Rs. 19.558 million. If you question this, we can present the cheques given for movable and immovable property with the dates. Milan Jayathilaka – Rs. 22.3 million. Dr. Ramesh Pathirana – Rs. 28.18 million. Duminda Dissanayake – Rs. 28.88 million. Kanaka Herath – Rs. 29.28 million. D.B. Herath – Rs. 32.18 million. Was his house that valuable? Prasanna Ranatunga – Rs. 32.7 million. W.D. Weerasinghe (Ampara) – Rs. 37.2 million. How valuable was Shantha Bandara’s house? He received Rs. 39.18 million. S.M. Chandrasena – Rs. 43.8 million. Sanath Nishantha – Rs. 42.7 million. Siripala Gamlath – Rs. 50.9 million. This is compensation taken for houses. Siripala Gamlath, Rs. 50.9 million. Arundika Fernando – Rs. 55.2 million. Sumith Udawatte – you know him, don’t you? He received Rs. 55.9 million. Prasanna Ranatunga – Rs. 56.18 million. Kokila Gunawardena – Rs. 58.78 million. Mohan P. de Silva – Rs. 60.18 million. Nimal Lanza – Rs. 69.28 million. Ali Sabry Raheem – yes, that’s him – Rs. 70.9 million. Gamini Lokuge took for a big house, Rs. 74.9 million. Johnston Fernando – Rs. 93.4 million. Keheliya Rambukwella, the former Health Minister – Rs. 95.9 million. Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, these are compensations taken from the Government claiming property damage during the last Aragalaya. See this: Keheliya Rambukwella, Rs. 95.9 million. These 43 persons alone have taken Rs. 1,224,134,737 – that is Rs. 122.4134 crore. This is how, using power, they obtained these compensations. If a farmer’s crop is damaged, if a flood washes away part of his house, how hard is it to get compensation from a Divisional or District Secretariat? But this is the amount these people obtained by pressuring Government officials. Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, this is the political culture that prevailed in our country. These are what we are overturning.

¶ 03 Now they are using rooms in this Parliament to form alliances with this very clique. Now they say, “Let’s unite; let’s unite.” They plan to unite with those who took these compensations, those who inappropriately took money from the President’s Fund, those who took bar permits, those who took compensation in this manner. All of them are joining together to do what? To work against the Government that is exposing these.

¶ 04 They are trying to come together for that. Otherwise, they would not support these. Give me a moment. They are not joining to help the change in political culture that this Government is driving. They are discussing how to block that change, how to obstruct it, how to stop these revelations. But remember: however you discuss, however you hold hands and unite, we will not stop changing this political culture and delivering justice to the people. Down to the last cent of the people’s tax money, we will ensure justice to the people everywhere.

¶ 05 These funds must be spent for this country’s health, education, transportation, mobility. We must spend for all that and enable a better life for the people. That is our Government’s expectation. Our Government Members, including the Ministers, work for that. Hon. Member, let me say this: you cannot get money from the President’s Fund because a coconut fell on you. There are those who took money saying they were cancer patients. Remember that too. Yes. Now they are discussing coalitions with such people. That is how those funds were used then. We have been given the mandate to change this political culture. Therefore, we will definitely change it. Whatever you do to obstruct this change, we will not halt this journey. Thank you for the opportunity, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees.