SJB MP Harsha de Silva has stated that he has no objection to changing the colour, name, or number of the 1990 Suwaseriya ambulance service, emphasising that his only goal is to further develop and strengthen the service.

His remarks come following the statement made by Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe, who said that the 1990 Suwaseriya service is “not Harsha de Silva’s personal property.”

Responding to a question raised by journalists, Harsha de Silva said:

“I know very well that Suwaseriya is not Harsha’s personal property — and so do the people of this country. Everyone knows that. It’s something that was built through great effort. I haven’t spoken about it much before, but since you asked this question, I’ll explain. When the Chairman of Tata visited Sri Lanka, he had discussions with us. He personally asked me what more Tata could do for Sri Lanka. I told Natarajan Chandrasekaran directly that if possible, we would like another 100 ambulances. I also know that the Indian Government and the Tata Company are arranging to provide around 150 more ambulances. That’s great news — truly excellent.”

He further stated:

“The 1990 Suwaseriya is now a recognised brand. Those who were here from the beginning know how hard it was to build it. Creating a brand takes time, effort, and money. There’s nothing wrong with the brand we’ve built. Some people say that internationally there’s a recognised colour for ambulances — but anyone can check with ChatGPT or any AI tool and see that there’s no universally accepted colour for pre-hospital or emergency care ambulances. So, there’s no issue in changing the colour, number, or even the name. What really matters is developing and improving this service further.”