Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri

Hon. Presiding Member, back then it was “Hingaman Life,” now it is “Cinnamon Life.” You asked us to report any political interference. Before I begin, I wish to table a letter for the information of the State Minister who asked for such reports. It is from the Association of Divisional Secretaries and Assistant Divisional Secretaries of Sri Lanka, addressed to the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation. It reports that the Private Secretary to the Hon. State Minister of Lands and Irrigation has, on several occasions, exerted pressure on Divisional Secretaries during land administration, sending letters and making demands. They urge that such political interference be stopped. I table this letter. [Placed in the Library.] You can address it publicly tomorrow. Let’s have facts, not bluster. Before this Government, the theme was “both sides are the same.” Listening to Government speakers today, the message seems to be: “It happened in 2022, 2023; it happened then; it happens now—so it’s okay.” If so, just say, “we are the same too.” Or admit without shame: “They stole, those before them stole, and we also stole.” It hurts to see these so-called intellectuals of the NPP. Like lorries once bearing “Budu Saranai” with contraband hidden behind, these folks parade sages and scholars in front while hiding stolen goods behind. When caught, it won’t be the thieves going to jail; it’s the scholars forced to whitewash them. Where are the principled voices in the NPP to take a stand that theft, fraud, and corruption are wrong? You argued coal stocks were tested, and Indian reports were fine—nothing more to say. Yet you also claimed all shipped coal was burned and that was wrong. In practice, production has been low when burning these shipments—proving the coal is substandard. No one needs more paperwork; the generation output tells the story. When substandard coal is exposed, you backtrack. Next, you say fines will be imposed. Have you collected any? Has the supplier agreed to pay? They say: test our retained samples; then we’ll pay if warranted. So you have no basis to collect yet; you’ve just cornered the company publicly. You also say in the past coal came via tenders and sometimes without tenders, via Cabinet approvals. But who were those deals given to? Not us—the relatives of the then–Colombo Mayor aligned with the Rajapaksas. And you call others corrupt. Now you demand that Hon. Marikkar produce the bank account. He already named the branch and the relationship. If the Minister and Government have a spine, go to that branch and prove it’s his own account and not his wife’s mother’s. Why ask us to do your job? With 159 Government MPs, if you are clean, go check and produce the proof. Your “Budu Saranai” and “we catch thieves” signs don’t give you a license. To those thinking we started stealing only these past six months—you did it then too; history shows it. We too thought when you came here proclaiming probity, you’d be clean. But every “file” they screamed about turned out to be for leverage. Stop the mudslinging. You are the Government now: catch the thieves, prove the cases, and show results. The people already believe you are stealing; they also believed you would use your claimed integrity to punish past corruption. It is now clear you lack the backbone to deliver justice. Having reminded you of this, I conclude. Thank you.