2026-02-06 / Debate: Extension of Emergency Regulations under Public Security Ordinance 2026-02-06
## Summary
Hon. (Mrs.) Deepthi Wasalage spoke in support of extending the national emergency declared on 28 November 2025, contextualising it within the severe flooding and landslide disaster that struck the Matale District, which caused 29 deaths, disrupted communications across 14 zones, affected 16 of 25 RDA roads, and knocked out power District-wide. She detailed the coordinated relief response by the four Matale MPs, party organisers, and members from other districts, emphasising that aid was delivered to hard-hit Tamil communities without communal distinction. She outlined outstanding recovery needs, including restoration of the Alukalduwa–Ukuwela road, establishment of the Bambarakiriella water project, and relocation of the Navagamuwa Hindu National School. Rejecting Opposition criticism of the emergency extension, she argued the declaration had not been used against any democratic process and challenged critics to cite specific instances of misuse, while attributing the country's inherited economic difficulties to the previous administrations now represented on the Opposition benches.
Hon. Presiding Member, let me first remind: there is no “Sinhala people’s President,” “Tamil people’s President,” or “Muslim people’s President.” There is the President of Sri Lanka. I strongly condemn the Opposition’s communal politics and their obscene references. They seem to know only bodily relations, not human affection.
Listening to this debate, I realized many on the Opposition benches have been in Government before. When we formed a Jathika Jana Balawegaya Government for the first time in 2024, we inherited a bankrupt country. If the Opposition had done all they now lecture about, they should have handed us a developed nation — not one that was a global embarrassment.
After speaking here on 27 November, I left for Matale and reached home with difficulty as roads were blocked. At 6 a.m., looking across the District, my heart sank at the devastation. Power was out District-wide; on 25 of RDA roads, 16 were affected; in 14 zones communications failed; worst of all, we lost 29 lives. We — four MPs representing Matale, including State Minister Gamagedara Dissanayake and me — worked with officials, party organizers, and citizens. On 28 November the President declared a national emergency; today we are debating its extension.
The hardest-hit areas in our two electorates are mostly Tamil communities. Together with Hon. Dinesh Hemanta and the others, we focused on restoring the lives of these innocent people — without any communal, religious, or caste bias. We showed what it means to be true people’s representatives. Hon. Ruchan Mapalagama, Hon. Sapumal Ranwala, Hon. Prageeth Maduranga, Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody and many local authority heads from Gampaha and Kalutara came to Matale with their strength. I thank them. Hon. Ruwan Mapalagama even stayed overnight at a temple with our people. Local authority members carried rice and gas cylinders and worked shoulder to shoulder in villages. People said they had never seen such politicians before. That is why the Opposition panics: they know our people’s representatives have gone down to the grassroots.
The Water Board’s 10 projects — eight were down; within ten days we restored normalcy across the District to a great extent, though not 100%. The RDA must still restore the Alukalduwa–Ukuwela road; the Bambarakiriella water project must be established; the Navagamuwa Hindu National School, attended by Tamil children, must be relocated. More work remains, including land acquisition for road widening, and officers must be protected when taking decisions.
The Opposition asks: if you managed the disaster, why emergency? We have not used emergency against any democratic process. Two months have passed — show where we used it undemocratically. Do not predict the future to scare people. The people trust us and will walk with us. We fear nothing; we are rebuilding, and will give our people a better life than before — “a prosperous country, a beautiful life.” Standing with the President, all 225 will lift this country higher.
Thank you.