Hon. Sundaralingam Pradeep - Deputy Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure

## Summary Deputy Minister Sundaralingam Pradeep spoke in support of extending Emergency Regulations, arguing that the current emergency — declared 53 days prior in response to Cyclone "Dithwa" — was imposed on humanitarian grounds and differs fundamentally from historical abuses of emergency powers used against minorities and dissidents. He contended that the emergency enabled officials to cross administrative boundaries in difficult hill-country terrain to deliver relief, and challenged the Opposition to cite a single concrete example of misuse during the current period. The Deputy Minister also addressed broader government accountability efforts, estate housing improvements, and salary increases for plantation workers, while condemning the verbal abuse of women Members of Parliament and criticising large estate owners for what he characterised as insincere concern for affected communities.