The Hon. Dharmapriya Wijesinghe

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, I move the following Adjournment Motion:

¶ 02 “With the escalation of war tensions in the Middle East, a severe global supply chain crisis has emerged. As a result, the supply of fuels—an energy source in high demand—has come under direct risk. In addition, due to the war climate that arose, global fuel prices have reached historic highs and, based on war conditions, marine insurance, freight and other costs have significantly increased.

¶ 03 Therefore, the Government is fully committed and devotes its utmost strength to: - maintaining steady supplies of fuel, gas and coal, - ensuring continuity, efficiency and regularity of public services, - sustaining economic activities and essential public services, - keeping public and private supply chains operating without interruption to provide goods at fair prices without market shocks, - promptly identifying daily-life difficulties and impacts and responding swiftly through coordination with relevant institutions, all with a view to sustaining the country’s economic processes without disruption and managing the situation so as to minimize the impact on daily life.”

¶ 04 We now face a grave supply-chain crisis generated by the Middle East war climate. Consequently, a worldwide energy crisis has arisen, affecting all developed and developing states equally. As a nation and as a society, we are under pressure and confronting multiple problems.

¶ 05 History does not move linearly. Social development advances in spirals, often through crises. Across epochs—slave, feudal, capitalist, even socialist—productive power and energy have been central. From muscle power, to coal in the Industrial Revolution, to petroleum thereafter, control over energy underpins national strength. The current crisis, too, is rooted in energy—petroleum in particular—hence the strategic contestation in the Middle East.

¶ 06 As supply-chain disruptions unfold, an energy crisis spreads globally and impacts us domestically. We must therefore manage the economy in a way that minimizes the public impact, even as we work to build a productive and resilient economy. That is the Government’s present task. Parliament—Government and Opposition—together with the public service, institutions and society at large must collaborate to manage this crisis with minimal impact on the economy and daily life. I invite all to join in this effort. Thank you for the opportunity.