Topic
Corruption & Governance Reform
2,708 speeches · 349 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, M.P. JJB | 91 |
| 2 | Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 86 |
| 3 | Hon. Mujibur Rahman, M.P. SJB | 80 |
| 4 | Hon. Ajith P. Perera, M.P. SJB | 70 |
| 5 | Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri, M.P. SJB | 68 |
| 6 | Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, M.P. JJB | 68 |
| 7 | Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna, M.P. Independent Group 17 - Jaffna | 67 |
| 8 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 65 |
| 9 | Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, M.P. NDF | 64 |
| 10 | Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, M.P. JJB | 64 |
Speeches
2,708 on this topic- 5 August 2025 The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka JJB AI summary On behalf of the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Anura Karunathilaka answered Question 569/2025 regarding President’s Fund payments for higher education. He said funds were granted for foreign scholarships between 2005 and 2014, tabling an annexure with recipient details, and listed annual totals amounting to payments for 263 individuals. He stated that an audit observed funds had been provided to children, relatives and friends of Ministers and Members of Parliament, but that available records do not identify who returned to Sri Lanka, so no legal or recovery action has been taken against scholarship recipients who may not have returned. Oral Questions: Education, Energy, President's Fund, Western Provincial Council Vehicles, Public Security, Pirivena Education, Hospitals in Matara, Land Settlement, Coastal Patrol, and Marawila Schools Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake alleged that the ongoing islandwide reorganization of Youth Society Councils under the National Youth Services Council is being politicized through the involvement of National People’s Power representatives and the Socialist Students’ Union in appointing office-bearers. He asked the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports whether the Socialist Youth Union emblem is being used, whether Youth Services Officers are acting politically, and whether regional council formation should be impartial and free from political influence. He urged the Minister and the NYSC Chairman to ensure youth councils are established independently, without improper political intervention. Adjournment Questions Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa - Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip JJB AI summary The Minister said recent irregularities and corruption in the procurement of medicines, vaccines, surgical items and test kits require stricter procurement procedures. He stated that unnecessary delays in compliant procurements would be removed, but all parties must follow due process and ensure transparency in a medicines and devices market worth about Rs. 350 billion annually. He said the Government would act lawfully to secure timely and quality supplies. Standing Order 27(2): Central Bank Accountability and Medicine Procurement Delays Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake questioned delays in the State medicines procurement process despite Rs. 155 billion being allocated for 2025, citing a 189-day procurement cycle and litigation that can delay tenders for years. He asked whether the private sector could procure more efficiently and argued that overregulation, committee delays, and officials’ fear of legal exposure were preventing timely purchases. He called for urgent reform of procurement procedures to avoid recurring shortages and implementation delays. Standing Order 27(2): Central Bank Accountability and Medicine Procurement Delays Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake questioned whether Central Bank accountability is adequate, arguing that appearances before COPF and COPE do not clarify to whom the Governor and CBSL are directly responsible. He said key monetary and economic decisions affecting citizens and SMEs are controlled by an unelected official rather than the elected Minister of Finance, and raised concern over the Governor approving his own salary. He urged corrective legislative action if the current framework is inadequate and questioned the Governor’s involvement in Washington on matters linked to US tariff negotiations, saying it was inconsistent with CBSL independence. Standing Order 27(2): Central Bank Accountability and Medicine Procurement Delays Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Ravi Karunanayake, speaking under Standing Order 27(2), questioned the Minister of Finance on the accountability and performance of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka under the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023. He argued that the Bank had repeatedly missed inflation and monetary policy targets despite its statutory independence, and asked whether fiscal dominance, IMF or political constraints, or inadequate policy action had compromised its mandate. He sought explanations on target misses, monetary and exchange rate decisions, Treasury-Central Bank coordination, financial stability performance, and whether the Government would commission an independent external review of the Bank’s monetary policy framework. He also asked the Minister to clarify to whom the Central Bank and Governor are accountable under Section 5(2) of the Act and how that accountability is enforced. Standing Order 27(2): Central Bank Accountability and Medicine Procurement Delays Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF AI summary Chamara Sampath Dasanayake raised the issue of duty-free vehicle permits promised to public officers, noting that many have been waiting five to seven years after permits were issued. He acknowledged concerns raised with the IMF about foreign exchange outflows of about USD 25,000 per vehicle, but said the Finance Ministry had proposed rupee-based alternatives, such as monthly payments over 36 or 60 months. He urged the Government to resolve the uncertainty faced by about 25,000 permit holders. Oral Question: Import of Vehicles Under Duty-Free Permits (Q.508/2025) Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB AI summary Hon. Ajith P. Perera cited the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on the X-Press Pearl case, noting its finding that shifting jurisdiction to Singapore despite Sri Lankan jurisdiction and expert reports amounted to a denial of equality before the law under Article 12(1). He highlighted the Court’s recommendation that the Attorney General’s Department be investigated by the Bribery Commission and asked what detailed measures the Government would take to secure about USD 1 billion in damages, ensure accountability, and prevent similar incidents in future. Oral Question: Drafting of a New Constitution (Q.225/2024) Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya stated that the Government is proceeding in line with its policy document and that its plans will be developed transparently with public and expert input, with Parliament playing a significant role. She said there is no need to rush, noting that the Government has not yet completed its first year and has prioritised urgent public issues, while committing to implement the stated policy within its term. Oral Question: Drafting of a New Constitution (Q.225/2024) Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB AI summary Hon. Ajith P. Perera questioned the Government’s lack of a clear timeline or public process for drafting a new Constitution, noting the limited time remaining in the President’s term and the prior 2015–2019 constitutional reform work. He urged Parliament to begin a transparent constituent assembly process with public and expert consultation, leading to a referendum, and called for abolition of the Executive Presidency, parliamentary governance, and stronger fundamental rights protections. He asked why the Government was not prioritizing this pledge despite its mandate and two-thirds majority, and questioned whether the Presidency had become politically acceptable to the President. Oral Question: Drafting of a New Constitution (Q.225/2024) Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB AI summary The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya stated that the Government acknowledges the need for a new Constitution and has pledged to undertake constitutional reform within its current term, with initial work already commenced. She said the process would require study, expert consultation, public engagement, and input from parties inside and outside Parliament, while urgent legal reforms in other sectors are being advanced, including eight Acts already passed and further drafts underway. She added that recommendations from previous committees would be considered and that the aim is to produce a democratic, people-endorsed Constitution rather than make hurried amendments. Oral Question: Drafting of a New Constitution (Q.225/2024) Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB AI summary Ajith P. Perera asked the Prime Minister whether the Government accepts the need for a new Constitution and whether its policy document pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency and introduce a new Constitution expeditiously. He sought the proposed timeline, asked whether the drafting process would be an all-party initiative involving all parliamentary parties, and requested reasons for any lack of national prioritization of the constitutional reform process. Oral Question: Drafting of a New Constitution (Q.225/2024) Read →
- 25 July 2025 The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha SJB AI summary Nalin Bandara Jayamaha said his party accepts the need for reforms to the electricity sector, including through amendments to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, but raised concerns about the process being followed. He questioned whether the Director-General of the Reforms Office, identified as Pubudu Niroshan, had been given excessive authority to engage with institutions such as JICA and the World Bank and shape CEB reforms according to his own views, and asked whether the Minister had instead established a broader plan led by an appropriate team. Oral Question: Gulf of Mannar - Exploration of Gas and Oil (Q.199/2024) Read →
- 25 July 2025 Hon. Aravinda Senarath JJB AI summary Hon. Aravinda Senarath tabled the Second Report of the Committee on Public Accounts under Standing Order 119(3), concerning inquiries into the Department of Motor Traffic held in March 2025. He said the report was presented separately because of the Department’s failure to implement audit recommendations dating back to 2012 and the serious irregularities identified, including matters requiring legal action to recover State revenue losses. Citing Parliament’s financial oversight role under Article 148, he called for enforcement of the law beyond party lines, acknowledged action already taken in some cases, thanked audit and COPA staff, and requested parliamentary time for a debate on the report. Committee on Public Accounts: Second Report Read →
- 24 July 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasinghe JJB AI summary Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasinghe said the Government’s education reforms, led by the Prime Minister as Education Minister, are intended to begin tangible changes in 2026 through child-centred curricula linked to national development, heritage, technology, inclusion, and equal opportunity. She argued that past reforms failed because the State withdrew from its responsibility, reduced funding, allowed politicized or private interference in schools, and lacked a national policy. She clarified that schools with fewer than 50 students would not be closed indiscriminately, but assessed using data and, where appropriate, improved, consolidated, or repurposed for educational and vocational use, while preventing misuse of State assets by politicians. She also called for moving beyond rote learning toward practical, life-skills-based and vocationally linked education, citing initiatives such as school “Travel Clubs” connected to tourism education. Adjournment Debate: Proposed Educational Reforms (continued) Read →
- 24 July 2025 The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe JJB AI summary Mahinda Jayasinghe responded to allegations about his employment record, stating that he was dismissed in 2009 under Mahinda Rajapaksa on politically motivated and false charges. He said he was later cleared of all charges and released from service in 2015 by the Governor, and noted that parliamentary law permits trade union leaders to be released from their posts for union duties. Adjournment Debate: Proposed Educational Reforms (continued) Read →
- 24 July 2025 The Hon. Chanaka Madugoda SLPP AI summary Chanaka Madugoda referred to a challenge to raise any allegations of corruption and indicated that, if given the opportunity, he would do so. The intervention appears to signal an intention to present or discuss corruption-related claims in the debate. Adjournment Debate: Proposed Educational Reforms (continued) Read →
- 24 July 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna supported proceeding with education reforms but argued they must be based on expert consultation, national consensus, and a formal policy document such as a White Paper, rather than a party manifesto. She said the current proposals appear focused mainly on curriculum reform and lack detail on other pillars such as assessment, human resources, infrastructure, administration and communication. She urged the Government to use previous reform work and remaining ADB funds, publish the relevant documents, update syllabi regularly, reduce examination pressure, and incorporate 21st-century competencies including literacy, critical thinking, collaboration, ethics, citizenship and self-directed learning. Adjournment Debate: Proposed Educational Reforms (continued) Read →
- 24 July 2025 The Hon. Chanaka Madugoda SLPP AI summary Hon. Chanaka Madugoda urged the Government to implement education reforms with broad consultation, careful planning, and consensus, warning against a haphazard approach similar to what he described as failed or stalled initiatives such as Clean Sri Lanka and the animal census. He objected to making history and aesthetics elective rather than compulsory for Grades 10 and 11, called for more attention to early childhood preparation, safeguards against bias in modular teacher-led assessments, and reconsideration of extended school hours. He also raised a separate concern that the recruitment of 100 Sub Inspectors had been halted despite a relevant committee report reaching the Ministry, urging that selected youth not be denied lawful opportunities. Adjournment Debate: Proposed Educational Reforms (continued) Read →
- 24 July 2025 The Hon. Kumara Jayakody JJB AI summary The Hon. Kumara Jayakody stated that a tender awarded before the current administration took control authorized the clearing of all visible items on the land, including buildings, based on a committee recommendation. He said underground tanks were not included in that authorization, but the contractor unearthed and removed one during the work. He informed Parliament that all further removals under the tender have been suspended until the police investigation is concluded. Oral Question: Petroleum Storage Tanks in Cities (Q.9) Read →