The Hon. Waruna Liyanage

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, thank you for this opportunity to speak on the Expenditure Heads of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development.

¶ 02 Though I am in the Opposition today, I proudly speak of our Deputy Minister of Sports, a leader who brought great honour to the country. I remember, Hon. Sugath Thilakaratne, from Vidulipura MV in Nuwara Eliya, how in 1996 you beat Michael Johnson in a 400-metre event — perhaps even Sydney. Watching on TV, I shed tears as a sportsman from Ratnapura who captained basketball, badminton, cricket, and table tennis at provincial level. We are delighted to have such a Deputy Minister; in the coming years our sports will flourish. You have just taken office, so we must give you time. We wish you strength to carry on the work so that in three years, more athletes like you will emerge.

¶ 03 Since track and field is your area, let me raise this: In Ratnapura District, we have a Provincial Stadium, under renovation for years with Rs. 400 million spent, yet incomplete. Please expedite and bring it under the Central Government with staff to operate, so athletes can finally use it. Athletes have a limited window; delays ruin performance cycles. We also built a jogging track at a cost of Rs. 20 million, but the previous government constructed a shopping complex there. That is unsuitable. If your government halts that and restores it as a jogging track, it would greatly help athletes. It is a provincial stadium; there are nine new provincial stadiums and 18 district stadiums under development. Without staff, maintenance is a serious problem. Please address this.

¶ 04 Not only in our district, there are many vacancies for sports coaches across the country. We have 18 divisions and about 40 registered sports clubs, yet for many sports there are no coaches. There is an indoor stadium and basketball court but no coach. Please establish youth squads — under-15, under-17, under-19 — identify gaps, and address needs. I will stop on sports to speak on the Ministry of Industry.

¶ 05 Our Budget is Rs. 2,200 billion. The best solution lies in your hands, Hon. Minister. We MPs of Ratnapura are from the gem sector. I appreciate your frequent inspections. I saw a circular by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority on using backhoe machines for mining, requiring Rs. 20 million to renew such licences annually. For some licences even Rs. 20 million is a loss; within a year, with bank loans and mortgaged lands, and machine hire by the hour, they cannot show Rs. 20 million. Earlier it was Rs. 1 million per year; now you have set Rs. 20 million. How can they manage, Hon. Minister?