The Hon. K. Sujith Sanjaya Perera

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I am pleased to speak on today’s Adjournment Motion regarding the current national situation. The Mover spoke as if there were no issues for the economy or the people. But if you go to village and city alike, people say: fuel prices are high; electricity bills have increased; the cost of living rises daily; Sinhala and Tamil New Year is approaching—how can we manage? This is a real and pressing concern.

¶ 02 Our Leader, Hon. Sajith Premadasa, was the first to draw attention to this. At the outset of the global crisis and war climate, he clearly called on you to prepare early: warning of possible fuel shortages, electricity tariff increases, and coal supply problems; urging a relief package; and, during Cyclone “Ditva,” urging preparedness based on meteorological and international reports. You mocked these warnings and dismissed his offers of cooperation. Yet now you present the very measures he proposed.

¶ 03 You also promised victims of “Ditva” that if even a roofing sheet was lost they would receive compensation; if land was lost, Rs. 500,000 for land and Rs. 500,000 to rebuild a house. I ask: where have you provided new houses or land to those most affected?

¶ 04 You shed crocodile tears for estate workers, spoke of Rs. 200–300 wage increases, and criticized past governments. Go to Yatiyantota, Nuwara Eliya and other estates; people are still in tents months after the disaster. Even now you cannot provide houses or outside land; plantation authorities say there is no land inside the estates. Provide land from elsewhere if necessary—where is your social justice?

¶ 05 On the war-driven crisis, Sajith Premadasa called for a relief package early. Only after weeks did the President rush here with a list of handouts. But the President himself has said, “Do not take what I say in Parliament seriously,” and previous disaster promises remain unfulfilled. We have no confidence in these new promises either. People need immediate relief for all, not just Aswesuma’s 20–25 percent coverage. What about the working poor, state employees, businesspeople and private-sector workers?

¶ 06 Diesel is now close to Rs. 600 per litre; private fuel companies have already increased, heralding CEYPETCO’s rise after the New Year. Power cuts are being prepared informally—an hour or half-hour—even if not officially announced. Do not blame the war for everything; this stems from the coal fraud. Read your own Auditor General’s report: a loss of Rs. 22.4 billion will be borne by the innocent public. That is why electricity tariffs went up.

¶ 07 I appeal especially to “centrist” Members in Government ranks, including the Hon. Minister of Justice: intervene sensibly. The President says the Government will bear the loss—but who is “the Government” if not the people? You are not paying from your homes.

¶ 08 You said rice would not be imported, yet within a week rice shipments arrived. This is how the public is misled: promises on gas, rice and more are reversed soon after. You came to power pledging to protect the poor. Stop harming them and be accountable for these wrongs.

¶ 09 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member.