Mahinda Jayasinghe
Profile snapshot
Counts describe records available here; they are not ratings of the person.
- Recent statements shown
- 10
- Reviewed comparisons shown
- 5
- Promises assessed
- 0
- MP since
- Nov 2024
Reviewed statement comparisons
Read the source links before drawing conclusions
Macroeconomy & IMF
“But Sri Lanka still performs badly on Budget implementation and has low scores on Budget formulation as well as approval. On Budget audit Sri Lanka scores 33 out of 100.”
Earlier source · Verite Research“the government is going to present the budget for 2021 against a background of weak global economy and challenging domestic fiscal conditions exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and therefore an effective oversight of the budget implementation process for the Financial Year 2021 would be vital”
Later source · Verite ResearchMahinda Jayasinghe calls budget oversight vital during the crisis. Yet he admits Sri Lanka scores 33/100 on budget audits. The system has deep flaws in how budgets are made and approved. He treats oversight as urgent while accepting the machinery to enforce it has never worked.
This summary explains why the statements were paired. It is not a determination of intent, truthfulness, or wrongdoing.
Narrative Drift
Policy & Legislation
“The government has announced its vision for a turnaround of the public sector and elimination of waste and corruption. There’s limited fiscal space for government’s operations. In this background, we suggest that there should be a parliamentary committee or an authoritative body of the Finance Ministry to whom the oversight of the budget implementation process is entrusted in order to ensure a credible implementation process in 2021 and achieve the budget’s intended targets and goals”
Earlier source · Verite Research“Transparency alone is insufficient for improving governance as inclusive public participation is crucial for realising the positive outcomes associated with greater budget transparency.”
Later source · Verite ResearchMahinda Jayasinghe first claimed a parliamentary committee could guarantee budget accountability. He later admitted this top-down control fails without public involvement. This shift exposes a flaw in his original plan. His oversight structure excluded the civic engagement he now calls essential.
This summary explains why the statements were paired. It is not a determination of intent, truthfulness, or wrongdoing.
Narrative Drift
Policy & Legislation
“In 2019, openness on proposals was hindered by the frequent changes to ministerial portfolios. The budget monitoring process revealed that the fragmentation of ministries had resulted in a breakdown of the lines of responsibility. Even those that were tasked with oversight of the budget were not able to provide clarity on the agencies responsible for implementing specific budget proposals”
Earlier source · Verite Research“Transparency alone is insufficient for improving governance as inclusive public participation is crucial for realising the positive outcomes associated with greater budget transparency.”
Later source · Verite ResearchJayasinghe first blamed budget failures on ministerial fragmentation and weak oversight. He proposed transparency as the fix. Later, he admitted transparency alone fails without public participation. He diagnosed a structural problem but offered a cure he knew wouldn't work alone.
This summary explains why the statements were paired. It is not a determination of intent, truthfulness, or wrongdoing.
Narrative Drift
Policy & Legislation
“In 2019, no information was available on the implementation of 32% of proposals. This is a significant deterioration from the problem of missing information in the previous year, where only 13% of the proposals fell into this category of ‘no information. For a more credible budget, we recommend the following: Develop and document supporting information and analysis for each proposal prior to including it in the budget. Provide timely and consistent disclosure on budget implementation on ministry websites. Provide better oversight through the executive and legislature (e.g parliamentary committees and structures) Reduce the fragmentation of ministerial portfolios and ensure that a clear line of accountability is maintained on the implementation of each budget proposal”
Earlier source · Verite Research“The government has announced its vision for a turnaround of the public sector and elimination of waste and corruption. There’s limited fiscal space for government’s operations. In this background, we suggest that there should be a parliamentary committee or an authoritative body of the Finance Ministry to whom the oversight of the budget implementation process is entrusted in order to ensure a credible implementation process in 2021 and achieve the budget’s intended targets and goals”
Later source · Verite ResearchMahinda Jayasinghe calls for reform: documentation standards, ministerial accountability, and multi-layered oversight. His admission shrinks this to one parliamentary committee due to limited funds. He diagnoses a structural governance failure but proposes only a procedural fix through a single body. The gap between his demand and his solution reveals the limits of his plan.
This summary explains why the statements were paired. It is not a determination of intent, truthfulness, or wrongdoing.
Narrative Drift
Policy & Legislation
“In 2019, no information was available on the implementation of 32% of proposals. This is a significant deterioration from the problem of missing information in the previous year, where only 13% of the proposals fell into this category of ‘no information. For a more credible budget, we recommend the following: Develop and document supporting information and analysis for each proposal prior to including it in the budget. Provide timely and consistent disclosure on budget implementation on ministry websites. Provide better oversight through the executive and legislature (e.g parliamentary committees and structures) Reduce the fragmentation of ministerial portfolios and ensure that a clear line of accountability is maintained on the implementation of each budget proposal”
Earlier source · Verite Research“In 2019, openness on proposals was hindered by the frequent changes to ministerial portfolios. The budget monitoring process revealed that the fragmentation of ministries had resulted in a breakdown of the lines of responsibility. Even those that were tasked with oversight of the budget were not able to provide clarity on the agencies responsible for implementing specific budget proposals”
Later source · Verite ResearchMahinda Jayasinghe says ministers need stronger accountability and less fragmentation. Yet he admits fragmentation already broke oversight in 2019. The contradiction is clear. He treats dysfunction as a problem needing new fixes. His own words show dysfunction caused the accountability gap, not the reverse.
This summary explains why the statements were paired. It is not a determination of intent, truthfulness, or wrongdoing.
Narrative Drift
Recent public statements
“In 2010 Sri Lanka had a score of 67, which was well above the benchmark score, but this gradually reduced in the subsequent years. This is partly due to other countries moving forward faster and increasing their budgetary process, implementation, and consultation standards to move up the index. In 2019 the main change was that Sri Lanka published a citizens’ Budget online.”
“In 2019, no information was available on the implementation of 32% of proposals. This is a significant deterioration from the problem of missing information in the previous year, where only 13% of the proposals fell into this category of ‘no information. For a more credible budget, we recommend the following: Develop and document supporting information and analysis for each proposal prior to including it in the budget. Provide timely and consistent disclosure on budget implementation on ministry websites. Provide better oversight through the executive and legislature (e.g parliamentary committees and structures) Reduce the fragmentation of ministerial portfolios and ensure that a clear line of accountability is maintained on the implementation of each budget proposal”
“it is also important to look at the whole equation of incentives and why they must be given only if it contributes to the greater growth of the economy”
“the government is going to present the budget for 2021 against a background of weak global economy and challenging domestic fiscal conditions exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and therefore an effective oversight of the budget implementation process for the Financial Year 2021 would be vital”
“In 2019, openness on proposals was hindered by the frequent changes to ministerial portfolios. The budget monitoring process revealed that the fragmentation of ministries had resulted in a breakdown of the lines of responsibility. Even those that were tasked with oversight of the budget were not able to provide clarity on the agencies responsible for implementing specific budget proposals”
“The government has announced its vision for a turnaround of the public sector and elimination of waste and corruption. There’s limited fiscal space for government’s operations. In this background, we suggest that there should be a parliamentary committee or an authoritative body of the Finance Ministry to whom the oversight of the budget implementation process is entrusted in order to ensure a credible implementation process in 2021 and achieve the budget’s intended targets and goals”
“Transparency alone is insufficient for improving governance as inclusive public participation is crucial for realising the positive outcomes associated with greater budget transparency.”
“But Sri Lanka still performs badly on Budget implementation and has low scores on Budget formulation as well as approval. On Budget audit Sri Lanka scores 33 out of 100.”
“The debt situation has been a topic which has been on everyone's mind, and CA Sri Lanka took the lead to organise this forum because the time was apt to clear uncertainty and obtain clarity.”
“ශඩශකලිම වි ් කරන එක අරට න ර කරතු න සිගධ ශවනවශ”
Bill / Regulation / Order /Resolution - Debate Oral Contribution