The law will be enforced for everyone, regardless of their status, power, or any unseen influence.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, addressing the Matale District Special Coordination Committee meeting held yesterday (12) at the Weera Keppetipola Hall in Matale, emphasized that the law will be applied equally to everyone, regardless of their status, past power, or any unseen influence. He stated that the law would be enforced based on fairness, without any intention of revenge, hatred, or malice, and that if someone's name is mentioned in an investigation, recording a statement from them is a normal process and should not be exaggerated as a major social catastrophe.

Approximately 80 billion rupees were allocated last year and 500 billion rupees this year for the people affected by the recent 'Ditwa' cyclone, which is considered the highest allocation for a natural disaster in the country. Since those affected by disasters are often people living in economically disadvantaged and unsafe environments, provisions have been allocated to provide them with safe housing, rebuild partially damaged homes, and reconstruct destroyed infrastructure including bridges and roads to proper standards. Furthermore, the government has decided to provide greater compensation to disaster victims than under the previous system, and the President stated that the main challenge this time is to spend this 500 billion rupees within this year. He also explained that although the government's annual expenditure is limited to about thirteen percent of the Gross National Product under the International Monetary Fund's Extended Credit Facility, legal provisions exist under the Financial Management Act to exceed this limit in such emergency disaster situations.

The President stated that since the past practice of spending government funds without any targets and projects like abandoned buildings were a major cause of the country's economic collapse, every project from now on will only be implemented after a proper feasibility study. He said that the allocated funds should be effectively utilized for the development of the targeted community with the intervention of local political authorities and government officials. He also emphasized that although some groups attempt to create a public perception that the proper enforcement of law is an intimidation to government officials, public servants should be afraid of engaging in irregularities, not of performing their duties freely and efficiently. He further stated that no one will be allowed to circumvent the law based on political power, wealth, or political affiliations, and that a new culture must be created in the country where everyone, from the President to the Grama Niladhari (village officer), is subject to and respects the law. He also pointed out that if the law is enforced unfairly, there are provisions within the law itself to act against it.

The President recalled that some groups who believed they were above the law are now unable to tolerate its enforcement, and that in the past, even presidents of this country have violated the constitution and broken the law, as ruled by the Supreme Court. Therefore, he urged everyone to serve the people to the best of their ability within the framework of existing laws and ordinances, and stated that if that legal framework hinders development work, the government is ready to change those legal frameworks. He further stated that the responsibility of both the political authority and the state machinery is to transform this country into a better one without fear.

A group including Deputy Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and Chairman of the Matale District Coordination Committee, Gamagedara Dissanayake, Central Province Governor and Co-Chairman of the Committee, Professor Sarath Abhayakoon, and Members of Parliament Sunil Bianvila and Dinesh Hemantha participated in this special coordination committee meeting. Additionally, Central Province Chief Secretary Ajith Premasinghe, Commissioner General of Essential Services and Chief of Presidential Staff Prabath Chandrakirthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Retired Air Vice Marshal Sampath Tuyyakontha, and Matale District Secretary L. P. Madanayake also joined the occasion.