The Hon. Dilith Jayaweera

¶ 01 [3.11 p.m.]

¶ 02 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, I do not know what to say. This august Parliament is becoming an ocean of evasions. Especially on the coal fraud, there was even a no-confidence motion. In truth, since yesterday that motion has become irrelevant; we should now bring a new no-confidence motion. Why? Because we all know the national crime caused by substandard coal. It was debated here and discussed widely in society. Compared even to the “bond scam” of the so-called good governance era, this coal fraud inflicted nearly double the direct loss. Yet we go in circles without finding who is accountable. At one time they said: yes, substandard coal was brought; we will recover the loss. But when the Auditor’s Report came, it all ended.

¶ 03 That report states that the company Trident Chemphar is a sham; the certifying company had no licence; the tender process itself was a sham. Therefore, it is not enough for an innocent Minister alone to take the blow. The President, in Parliament yesterday, accepted responsibility, saying “I did not taste and see” — implying had he tasted, it would have been done properly. He took responsibility; hence, further debate is unnecessary. An independent audit clearly says this is a massive corruption. I will not waste more time on it.

¶ 04 The Buddha’s teaching says, “Ottappiyaṁ dhanaṁ” — modesty and moral dread are wealth. When there is no shame and no fear, one can do anything and tell any lie. That has become this Government’s national policy — lying about everything.

¶ 05 Madam Deputy Chair, the Minister said there will be no power cuts; yet power is being cut everywhere. Still they say there are no cuts. I have their own report from yesterday: “System demand was managed by implementing manual load shedding of 33 kV feeders from 18:31 hours to 22:59 hours due to inadequate generation.” If you wish, I can hand you this report to see whether this is true or false. If such lies are told, what use is our speaking here? Only our time is wasted. How do we give hope to people amidst a national catastrophe?

¶ 06 There is indeed a global crisis. But facing it, our country is collapsing. They parade numbers for harvests, but can everything be stopped by speaking of harvests? While we watch, the national economy is crumbling. Over 85% of national wealth is generated by the private sector — it’s collapsing; agriculture is collapsing; fisheries, tourism, industries — all collapsing.

¶ 07 What is the Government’s central strategy to face this national crisis? What did the President say when he addressed Parliament? A President, when addressing the nation, must present strategies that offer hope. He did not. It was a statement without hope. We are saddened that an educated President would mislead the public thus. He even asked whether they “tasted and saw” the coal. Are our people fools? Can they be deceived continuously?

¶ 08 We recognize other countries too face similar conditions. We must learn from their public discussions — watch their analyses online, on YouTube, consult those who understand. Compared to those, our discourse here is shallow and boorish. Will our country move forward?

¶ 09 Without building an innovation-driven, enterprise-mixed economy, we cannot develop a domestic economy or chart a long-term course. I repeat this for both Government and Opposition. Without a central concept, we cannot develop. On energy, food security and sovereignty, we need indigenous strategies; without them, we cannot rebuild.

¶ 10 Finally, another issue: Hon. Ajith P. Perera, beyond all the wrongs this Government has done, now they are preparing to bribe the Chief Justice from the Executive, attempting to extend his retirement and insult him. As lawyers we take pride, but the Executive is attempting to strike a mortal blow at the law to fulfill its desires. I know no Supreme Court Judge will join this. To satisfy personal ambitions, this Government is taking unlawful steps to destroy the Supreme Court’s reputation. We must oppose this strongly. This will bring disgrace to us before the world. With that, I conclude. Thank you, Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees.