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By Sandun Jayawardana  

Amid accusations by sections of the opposition that the disaster brought on by Cyclone Ditwah had rendered it “irrelevant” in its current form, Budget 2026 was passed in Parliament by a majority of 157 votes on Friday.

Many in the opposition ranks were absent when the Third Reading came up for a vote around 7.30pm. Aside from those from the National People’s Power (NPP) government, opposition MPs Jeevan Thondaman from the United National Party (UNP) and K. Kader Masthan from the Sri Lanka Labour Party voted in support of Budget 2026. MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam from the All Ceylon Tamil Congress was the lone MP to vote against the budget. Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MPs Sivagnanam Shritharan and Thurairasa Ravikaran chose to abstain.

President Dissanayake addressing Parliament on Friday ahead of the vote on the budget

The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) staged a walkout from Parliament in the evening as President Anura Kumara Dissanayake entered the chamber. The walkout was to protest at the government’s handling of the disaster. Normally, the President’s speech would have been structured to reflect the debate on the expenditure head of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, of which he is subject minister. Nothing about the past week since the disaster though, has been normal and as such, much of Mr. Dissanayake’s speech centred on what the government intended to do to help those affected by the disaster.

He noted that the disaster “is the most severe one we have witnessed in recent times in our country.” He stressed the aim must be to create a state of higher quality than that which existed for those who lived. “Therefore, we are prepared to take every measure and work with utmost dedication so that our people will never again face such a destiny, and to build a better nation than before. I believe this is a duty entrusted to us and a responsibility that we cannot abandon.”

The President also defended Budget 2026 amid criticism from sections of the opposition that it was no longer relevant in the aftermath of the disaster and that the government needed to present a fresh one. “This budget has been prepared with the aim of completing a particular economic strategy. We will not dismantle it. Some call for an interim budget. We will not bring one.” Nevertheless, the government intends to use certain parts of the budget document for the disaster response effort, Mr. Dissanayake revealed. In the case of road development, about Rs. 40 billion from the allocated funds can be used for the development of roads affected by the calamity. The government has also instructed the Provincial Councils to use a portion of their allocated funds for road development in the affected areas, he further said.

He added that around Rs. 10.5 billion has already been released to District Secretaries for relief efforts. The government meanwhile, was also presenting a supplementary estimate of Rs. 50 billion for parliamentary approval. This, along with the Rs. 22. 2 billion already with the government, will provide Rs. 72.2 billion to spend over the next 25 days, the President observed.

Earlier in the day, opposition MPs continued to attack the government’s response to the disaster. SJB Kegalle District MP Kabir Hashim said the House had no choice but to approve Budget 2026 given that it was needed to obtain the next tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He pointed out that Budget 2026 will be insufficient to meet the massive expenses needed to rebuild the country after the disaster and urged the government to bring in supplementary estimates so that more funding can be obtained. He said the opposition was prepared to support such efforts.

Mr. Hashim also explained why the SJB had staged a walkout of Parliament last Monday amid disagreements over the government’s handling of the disaster. “We are not prepared to come and sit here like puppets or doormats. We need to do our jobs,” said the MP. He reiterated that the extent of the devastation could have been reduced had certain decisions been taken on time. Citing comments senior officials of the Departments of Meteorology and Irrigation had made in the media, the MP said it was clear that there had been discussions from as far back as November 12 regarding the possibility of a change in the weather, with it becoming apparent by November 23 that heavy rain was on the way. By November 24, international media such as the BBC were forecasting as much as 500mm of rain for the country. “Why was there no action?” he queried. He claimed officials could not solely take the blame since they had no power in decision-making. Political leadership was required and the question is whether this government gave such leadership, he stressed.

Explaining his decision to support Budget 2026, UNP Nuwara Eliya District MP Jeevan Thondaman said the government has a very big challenge ahead of it. He added that he had visited Kotmale the previous day and that it was a place where he grew up as a child. It was a very depressing sight, the MP observed. “At this time, I really hope that Parliament supports this budget, not because whether it’s financially feasible, or because it makes economic sense, but because we need to show everyone as a country that we are standing together,” he emphasised.

Parliament meets after budget before new year: breach of

While Parliament usually meets in January after the passage of the following year’s budget, the extraordinary destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah has forced lawmakers to meet again on December 19. This is to approve a supplementary estimate totaling Rs. 50 billion that the government is seeking to fund disaster relief and recovery efforts.

Addressing Parliament on Friday, President Dissanayake noted that under the state of emergency, the Prime Minister has the power to summon Parliament. “Accordingly, I request Parliament to approve this supplementary estimate I have outlined, on the 19th,” he said. The President added that agreement has already been reached to prorogue Parliament until January 6 after it meets on December 19.