The Hon. Ravindra Bandara

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, today the Opposition speaks with great anguish about coal—and then some of them leave as usual, lacking the patience to listen.

¶ 02 This tender process functioned properly and, for the first time, attracted the largest number of bids in history. That is your problem. As the President said, when cartels are broken, the cartel lords and the corrupt gangs who fattened off them are the ones who get hurt. Back then, there were no proper tenders—Cabinet papers were used to hand deals to friendly groups. Those crying loudest today are the very ones who did that. We know the history.

¶ 03 You don’t understand what the President explained. You hear only “not by tasting.” The process is: check at the load port, again at the discharge port, and then at the plant. That’s what he said. But you lack even the wit to listen to another’s explanation.

¶ 04 On “footnote” politicians: they once wrote a book exonerating the central bank robbers; now that book has disappeared. On disaster management—they took four years to build 75 houses in Meeriyabedda after the 2014 landslide; we are now completing the remaining 135. They ask about estate workers—if possible, increase the Cents 10 “chat-up”? We increased estate workers’ wages by Rs. 400 and now provide Rs. 500,000 per family for housing to Malaiyaha people. Yet they now wail that IDPs have been in camps for three months—as if there were no IDPs when we assumed office. In Haputale/Haldummulla an abandoned tea factory housed IDPs for two years under their watch; we are now at the final stage of permanent housing.

¶ 05 On the so-called coal fraud: there have been wrongdoings in the past—like after 2011, when seven coal ships were rejected and then three were accepted, with US$3.5 million in penalties manipulated by games around the 5,800 kcal/kg threshold. They said it was no problem back then. Now, when we follow a proper tender, they suddenly find their voice.

¶ 06 “Footnote 11.2” waved papers. Under their time, even the penalty formula was tampered with—dividing by 1 instead of 0.1—artificially shrinking penalties. Those cases are now proceeding.

¶ 07 Yesterday the President clearly said: if the supplier violated the contract or the coal is below spec, liquidated damages must be levied. On vessel delays—under them, no demurrage was recovered; now we are recovering. For three vessels alone, US$8.4 million has been imposed through retention. Before 2019 they only checked at the loading point and paid 100 percent; now we check at the discharge port too. The President acknowledged quality concerns and directed appropriate action.

¶ 08 Linking this to recent electricity tariff changes is wrong. Ask the Public Utilities Commission—the February decision drivers were different; this is not made a factor.

¶ 09 On renewables: they claim we weakened rooftop solar. Not so. Both ground-mounted and rooftop additions reached record levels under this Government. Earlier, generation from solar couldn’t be seen transparently in the system; we are introducing grid smartening and technical solutions, including battery systems. Cabinet has approved sixteen 10 MW battery systems already being implemented, with more 100 MW and 10 MW systems and a pumped storage project coming, to shift excess daytime solar to nighttime use. That is planned work, not slogans.

¶ 10 We have managed the economy: Treasury balances are positive; we delivered Rs. 50 billion in relief after “Didwa” and now another Rs. 10 billion. We did this without printing money—by restoring dollar inflows and domestic revenue.

¶ 11 We will reduce electricity tariffs by one-third with the CEB restructuring—something you failed to do. We have not axed 12,500 employees, not sold SriLankan Airlines, SLT, or Milco, nor handed State entities to the private sector. We manage them. So, wait and watch. On the Auditor-General’s report regarding coal—time will prove no offense occurred when acting per proper recommendations. The Opposition has been hexed; that’s all I have to say.

¶ 12 Thank you.