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By Sandun Jayawardana  

The National People’s Power (NPP) government showed off its overwhelming 2/3 Parliamentary majority on Friday (21) evening to pass its inaugural budget by a thumping majority of 114 votes, with 159 votes in favour and just 45 against.

All 158 of the NPP’s MPs voted for Budget 2025 and were joined on the opposition side by Vanni District Sri Lanka Labour Party MP Kader Masthan. The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) voted against the budget, as did the smaller opposition parties and independent Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna.  

The last two days of Budget 2025’s Committee Stage debate were reserved for the expenditure head of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. Debate over the two days mainly centred on the importance of continuing Sri Lanka’s economic recovery from the dark days of bankruptcy. Speakers on the government side insisted they possessed a plan and a vision to continue the economic recovery while working within the parameters of the agreement signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Opposition MPs countered that the NPP government had neither a plan nor a vision to do so, reiterating that it was dancing to the tune of the IMF at the public’s expense.

Speaker after speaker from the opposition blasted the NPP government for what they claimed was its backtracking from the promises made in its election manifesto, ‘A Thriving Nation, A Beautiful Life.’ SJB Colombo District MP Harsha De Silva, opening the debate on Thursday, said the government had gone back on the pledges it made on the campaign trail and opted to continue with the agreement that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe signed with the IMF. The NPP government had not changed “a single word” of the Wickremesinghe-IMF agreement, he insisted.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa stated that “the government in power today is a puppet dancing to the tune of the IMF.” He questioned the government on its programme to meet the target of annual economic growth of 5%. “How will the government develop the industrial sector? How will it increase the industrial sector’s contribution to the GDP? How is it going to develop agriculture? What is its programme to increase the agriculture sector’s contribution to the GDP? What about goods and services? The government has no plan and no programme for any of it. It has no vision.”

The NPP’s manifesto proclaims that it will turn Sri Lanka into a middle income country by 2030, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa observed. “The reality though, is that even if we sustain an economic growth of 5% continuously, it would still take 27 years for Sri Lanka to reach the status of a middle income country. If we are to reach the status of Singapore, which you have often raised as an example, it would take us at least 65 more years to get there if we maintain that rate of growth. So, how do we increase our economic growth to 7% or 8%? We need to have a significant jump in our economic growth if we are to realistically get to that position,” Mr Rajapaksa pointed out. He said the government needed to take “radical decisions” for that to happen. Sometimes, those radical decisions may not be in the framework given by the IMF, he argued.

There is no difference in what some in the opposition said when the budget debate started a month ago and what they are saying now at the end, observed Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya. “There were occasions where I felt they were simply rehashing what was said earlier. I also felt that some of the criticism came from egos that had been hurt. Those are issues we cannot solve through this debate or this budget.”

The Premier said she felt confident that the system change begun by the government is continuing well. She claimed many segments of society are happy about the change that had brought. They include ethical and responsible businessmen and entrepreneurs who are happy because they do not need to go behind ministers to continue with their business. They can work in freedom because they can see that there is consistency and a system in place, which helps them to forecast and plan their work ahead for the next two or three years. Hard-working public servants meanwhile, are happy because they know their skills, dedication and work are being valued. “Then there are segments of society that have been left behind. They could be women, disabled persons or young people – but they have all been granted relief. They have been given belief that doors towards economic prosperity are being opened for them.”

Winding up the debate on Friday evening, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said when watching the debate, he could see that some matters had been raised in pain and others in anger. There were also some that were constructive and raised in good faith. “We are not surprised by matters being raised in pain or anger,” he said. As for the constructive criticism that was raised, the President said theirs is a movement capable of accepting the good and rejecting the bad in those matters that were raised.

In a speech lasting nearly 1 hour and 45 minutes, President Dissanayake said the government firmly believes that the country needed to decisively change the economic path it has been on for so long and is actively working towards that goal. “But we are also a political movement that understands how we need to go about making that change. If we had a very good economy without any crisis, that change would be made extremely quickly. However, if the economy is in a very difficult position, that change has to be well-planned and affected gradually over time,” the President said. The President assured Parliament that his government will decisively change the country’s long-term economic policy in a manner that benefits the country and its people. However, none of this will be possible without first stabilising the country’s economy, the President pointed out.

The President also urged the opposition to refrain from making public comments that would derail the ongoing economic recovery.

“It is not only the government’s responsibility to get the economy back on track but of everyone. I request the opposition not to make public comments that will derail the ongoing process. If there is any issue that needs clarity, please speak to us,” he said.

Friday’s vote brought the curtain down on a process that began on February 17, with President Dissanayake delivering his inaugural Budget Speech to Parliament. The debate on the Second Reading of Budget 2025 continued for seven days from February 18 to 25. The vote on the Second Reading was passed by a majority of 109 votes on February 25. Thereafter, the Committee Stage Debate was held for 19 days from February 27 to March 21.