Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organizer and MP Namal Rajapaksa said the government has shown little interest in engaging with people displaced by recent disasters or in providing a sustainable solution to their problems, warning that making statements without proper assessment would create problems in the future.
He made these remarks while responding to questions from journalists after arriving to pay his last respects to late former Deputy Minister of Prisons and Corrections and former Anuradhapura District MP S.C. Muthukumarana.
Rajapaksa alleged that the government has failed to consult communities who have lost their farmlands, cultivated lands, homes, and even lives due to floods and other disasters. He said that despite repeated promises made by the President in Parliament, there has been little meaningful action on the ground.
Referring to the President’s statements, Rajapaksa said the President himself has previously remarked that the truth should be spoken outside Parliament and lies within it, adding that the President was now acting in line with that same approach. He further claimed that while diaspora groups may have supported the government, it was unclear whether adequate assistance had reached flood-affected and displaced people.
Commenting on foreign assistance, Rajapaksa said loans obtained from the International Monetary Fund would ultimately have to be repaid through public tax revenue. He stressed that loans should be invested in income-generating activities to strengthen the economy, rather than being used for short-term relief.
“We invested loans in infrastructure development to strengthen agriculture, fisheries and the economy, enabling people to sustain themselves,” he said, adding that the government must first calculate the actual losses caused by the disaster before making assurances that there was nothing to fear.
Rajapaksa warned that making statements without properly assessing the damage and economic impact would lead to serious issues in the future.
