2026-02-20 / Adjournment Motion: Coal procurement for Lakvijaya Power Plant at Norochcholai (Part 2)
The Hon. Ruwan Mapalagama
2026-02-20
## Summary Hon. Ruwan Mapalagama spoke in defence of the government during an adjournment debate on coal procurement for the Lakvijaya Power Plant at Norochcholai, arguing that the Opposition's motion lacked substantive factual argument and relied instead on personal attacks and unsubstantiated allegations. He contended that the current NPP government introduced competitive tendering for coal imports, in contrast to previous administrations that procured coal through Cabinet approvals without tenders, and that Opposition discomfort stems from the loss of benefits under the old system. Mapalagama demanded that Hon. S. M. Marikkar either table evidence supporting an allegation about a bank account held in the name of Minister Kumara Jayakody's wife's mother, or publicly apologise to those named. He also cited fuel price reductions since the government took office as evidence against Opposition predictions of economic deterioration, and characterised recent Opposition tactics as a systematic attempt to isolate and discredit individual NPP Cabinet Ministers.
Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this debate on the motion to adjourn regarding the purchase of coal for the Lakvijaya Power Plant at Norochcholai, presented by the Opposition at the time of the adjournment.
The motion by my colleague, Hon. S. M. Marikkar, claims questions must be asked according to Government Procurement Guidelines about the financial strength, experience, quality of supply, and adequate performance bonds of suppliers. I have been listening to all speeches here from 11.30 a.m.—four to five hours now. Yet none of the Opposition speeches substantiated the specific proposal they themselves moved. They only threw around allegations. Our Minister has already answered with numbers and data; the State Minister will also respond.
What is the Opposition trying to do? They avoid argument on facts and attack persons—classic ad hominem—hoping to prove their case by vilifying individuals. Frankly, their effort today failed. We on the Government side understand well the “pain” expressed by the Opposition. Why? For years, coal was imported without tenders, by Cabinet approvals. Now that proper tenders are being done, they are uncomfortable. When a new Government follows competitive tendering, those who benefited earlier without tenders feel the pinch. Shouting won’t change the truth. The public know who these “grease-stained” racketeers are.
On the other hand, their anguish stems from failed predictions. They claimed that under an NPP Government, fuel shortages would reappear in three months and power cuts would resume. That did not happen. They wanted the country back in darkness to exploit it politically. But Minister Kumara Jayakody and his colleagues frustrated those hopes. This Government will not permit a return to power cuts. So, yes, we understand their pain—sorry about that.
Let me also note: when the new Government took office, Octane 92 petrol was Rs. 332 a litre; now it is Rs. 292, down by Rs. 40. Octane 95 was Rs. 377; now it is Rs. 340, down Rs. 37. Diesel was Rs. 307; now it is Rs. 277, down Rs. 30. Kerosene was Rs. 202; now it is Rs. 182, down Rs. 20. These were not what they forecast when they claimed the dollar would go to Rs. 500–700. We have five years; judge us by measures taken over that period. Don’t panic and rush in with adjournment theatrics.
Hon. Marikkar also made a highly defamatory statement: that there is an account at a bank in Homagama in the name of the Minister Kumara Jayakody’s wife’s mother. He has not been in the Chamber since he uttered that. We expect him to table the details. Several on our side, including Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, challenged him: give the account number or apologize publicly—to the Minister, his wife, and his wife’s mother. Our politics is not to peddle baseless lies.
Hon. Marikkar himself conceded today that the era of lying to mislead people is over. Indeed—there is a new political culture in this country, not because of the Opposition, but because the people rallied around the National People’s Power. If anyone still believes they can sway Sri Lankans with lies and mudslinging, sorry. A few might be misled, but not the people at large.
He also boasted that they would bring people to the streets. This morning we saw SJB MPs stage a protest at the entrance to Parliament; that is a democratic right. But before you call the people out, ensure your own MPs show up—most did not. Some have one foot with Sajith and the other with Ranil.
We see the Opposition’s recent tactics: first, targeting Anura Dissanayake; now trying to isolate and attack NPP Cabinet Ministers. We are not naïve. We have been tempered in ground-level politics for years. Over 4,000 of our local councillors have experience on the ground. You won’t pick off our ministers one by one.
They tried it with then–Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya during education reforms; we protected her. They tried with Justice Minister Harsha Nanayakkara; and now they aim at Minister Kumara Jayakody, alleging a “coal scam.” He is an engineer who left a lucrative job to serve the country. We will not allow such personal attacks. Today, the Opposition brought a debate on coal—but could not even produce “coal” in their argument; sorry, name only!