Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam, M.P.
Profession: Attorney-at-Law
Speeches 91 #52 of 225·#1 in party
Attendance 8/8 days present (of recorded)
Top topic Ethnic Reconciliation & Devolution 37 speeches
Last spoke 10 June 2026 in Debate
Activity by sitting
52 sittings · counts only, no scoring.
Topic focus
AI summary AI-assigned tags, 1–3 per speech. Counts only — not a score.
Speech history
91 speeches- 1 December 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam said the Opposition had requested extended parliamentary time to discuss the current disaster situation and related policy decisions, even offering to pass the Budget Heads on 5 December without debate. He criticized the Government for refusing to postpone or expand the debate and for limiting discussion to 12.30 p.m., arguing that Parliament’s role is to address policy rather than field operations. He cited shortcomings in disaster management in the Northern Province and said the restriction on debate made Parliament irrelevant, explaining the Opposition’s walkout. Procedural: Opposition Statement and Parliamentary Scheduling Dispute Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 26 November 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam marked Prabhakaran’s birth anniversary and argued that political actors, including the JVP, have had to acknowledge Tamil nationalist history to engage with the North and East. He criticized fisheries policy in the North and East, saying post-war revival has been inadequate, Mayiliddy Harbour development has not benefited local small-scale fishers, Indian bottom trawling remains unresolved, and sea cucumber leases should prioritize local communities over politically connected outsiders. He urged the Fisheries Minister to ensure development first benefits war-affected local fishers and called for stronger action with India. He also proposed a holistic digital economy strategy for the North and East, citing Jaffna’s IT graduates, diaspora links, lower costs, land availability, and potential for tech parks, startups, and cross-border partnerships with South India. Debate: Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Committee Stage, Sixteenth Allotted Day EmploymentInfrastructureEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
- 25 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam urged urgent action to fill all 329 non-academic staff vacancies at the University of Jaffna and revise its outdated cadre, noting expanded faculties and reliance on costly private services. He called for education to be prioritized through higher budget allocations and teacher salary revisions in line with the Subodhini Commission, citing specific shortfalls in proposed pay increases. He also questioned whether education reforms opposed under the previous Government were now being pursued to secure ADB funding without stakeholder consultation. He requested reconsideration of extended school hours or provision of food, revision of criteria for difficult schools in the North and East, and an increase in inadequate difficult-area teacher allowances. Debate: Committee Stage on Appropriation Bill 2026 - Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education (Fifteenth Allotted Day) EmploymentEducationPublic Finance Read →
- 22 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam argued that the Central Government has unlawfully taken over provincial hospitals without the required constitutional upgrades, undermining devolution in health and weakening provincial governance. He said provincial hospitals, particularly in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, are being deprived of infrastructure funding, staffing approvals, and capital allocations, creating pressure for central takeover while not guaranteeing improvement. Citing Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Trincomalee DGH, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, and Mannar, he contended that institutions serving Tamil communities face systemic underinvestment regardless of administrative control. He called attention to inadequate provincial health financing, exclusion from national and donor-funded projects, and stalled promised developments, arguing that equitable investment rather than centralization is required. Debate: Committee Stage - Heads of Expenditure 111, 210, 211, 220 and 308 (Health and Mass Media) Corruption & Governance ReformEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionHealthcare Read →
- 18 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam requested a Division on Head 225 during the committee stage proceedings. The remarks indicate a procedural call for a formal vote, followed by the Division Bell. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam stated that he would not request a Division but asked that his opposition to Heads 222, 223, and 224 be formally recorded. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam requested that a vote be taken only on Expenditure Head 103 and that the result be recorded for Heads 222, 223, and 224 as well. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam called for a Division on Head 103 and requested that the record reflect that the same vote would apply to Heads 222, 223 and 224. The intervention was procedural, indicating his voting position across those expenditure heads. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 November 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam raised a point of order responding to remarks made by the Leader of the House while he was attending a parliamentary Sinhala class, stating that he would address them under Standing Orders the following day. He rejected allegations linking the LTTE to drug smuggling, arguing that no cases had been filed over 30 years and criticizing the Government for not presenting evidence in court or permitting an independent international inquiry. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Law & OrderJustice & Human RightsParliamentary Procedure Read →
- 18 November 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam cited the assault on former MP Selvarajah Kajendren in Trincomalee as an example of alleged failures in law enforcement. He said suspects identified from viral video footage were arrested and remanded, but the same ASP later sought their release on bail in the High Court on the grounds that riots might otherwise occur. He presented the incident in response to a request for specific examples. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Justice & Human RightsLaw & Order Read →
- 18 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam argued that allegations of wartime abuses by the Sri Lankan military require a genuine international inquiry, stating that the State and military cannot credibly investigate themselves and that such a process is necessary to identify perpetrators and clear the names of others. He referred to reported travel bans on senior officers and their families and claimed that continued opposition to international accountability makes the current Government no different from previous administrations. He also alleged the JVP had helped mobilize support for the war and urged it, particularly in relation to the Defence and Public Security portfolios, to address these issues if it seeks to distance itself from past state conduct and build legitimacy among Tamil people. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Security & DefenceJustice & Human Rights Read →
- 18 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam argued that the Defence Ministry remains a central source of Tamil mistrust due to wartime abuses, continued militarisation in the North and East, and alleged links between security forces and the post-war drug trade. He cited high troop-to-civilian ratios, extensive military and naval presence on private land, and alleged police refusal to record complaints, urging the Government to stop denying these issues and address them with Tamil representatives’ cooperation. He also called for accountability for serious wartime crimes, which he characterized as genocide, arguing that credible investigations are necessary both for victims and for clearing those in the armed forces not implicated. Committee Stage Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Defence and Public Security Expenditure Heads Security & DefenceEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionLaw & Order Read →
- 17 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam challenged the Government’s position presented in Geneva that an Office of the Independent Public Prosecutor would address accountability concerns. He argued that alleged wartime crimes require an international investigation, asserting that a domestic mechanism is inadequate because the State was a party to the conflict and cannot credibly investigate itself. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Justice & Human RightsForeign Affairs Read →
- 17 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam criticized the Government’s handling of recent events at a viharaya site in Trincomalee, arguing that it should uphold coastal and land-use law, resist racialized pressure, and address what he described as historical State-backed demographic changes affecting Tamil-speaking communities. He called on the Ministry of Justice and National Integration to reverse past discriminatory measures and explain these injustices to the Sinhala public rather than backtracking. While supporting the proposed Office of the Independent Prosecutor as important for prosecutorial independence, he rejected its presentation as a mechanism to address alleged wartime genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. He stated that his party would support voting against the Votes of the Ministries of Justice and National Integration due to the Government’s failure to ensure justice for war-related victims. Debate - Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage Continuation (Foreign Affairs, Justice and National Integration) Justice & Human RightsLaw & OrderEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
- 13 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam’s brief intervention was an accusatory outburst directed at another member, stating that they “should be impeached.” No substantive policy argument, legislative proposal, or detailed grounds for impeachment were presented in the excerpt provided. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Second Reading (Fifth Allotted Day) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 13 November 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam said his party supports the Government’s campaign against drugs, but argued that it will fail in the North and East unless alleged military involvement in the spread of drugs is addressed. He claimed this problem stems from wartime counter-insurgency practices and persists due to the continued heavy military presence, citing reported refusal by police to record complaints and discussions at District Coordinating Committees. He criticized the Deputy Minister of Defence for denying the allegations and urged the Government to confront the issue as part of its anti-drug policy. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2026 - Second Reading (Fifth Allotted Day) Law & OrderEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionSecurity & Defence Read →
- 12 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam welcomed the Minister’s acknowledgment that members of the military and police are involved in the drug problem, contrasting it with previous governments’ reluctance to admit this. He argued that drug mafias cannot be eliminated without holding the military accountable, citing the high military presence in the North as a relevant concern. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate Law & OrderSecurity & Defence Read →
- 12 November 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam questioned the basis for the Minister’s claim that education in the North had improved over the past seven months and requested supporting evidence. He also alleged that the military presence in the North and East was a main cause of the drug problem and asked when it would be removed. Appropriation Bill, 2026 - Second Reading Debate EducationSecurity & Defence Read →
- 24 October 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam associated himself with the condolence references for former Members of Parliament and paid particular tribute to the late Hon. Manicavasagar Kanagasabapathy Eelaventhan, a former TNA National List MP. He recalled Eelaventhan’s education, Central Bank service, long involvement in Tamil nationalist politics, and his consistent commitment to principle across the ITAK, TULF and TNA periods. He highlighted Eelaventhan’s role in Tamil political unity, his willingness to speak his conscience, and his continued activism in the Tamil diaspora after seeking asylum in Canada, while conveying respects to his family. Votes of Condolence: Seven Former Members of Parliament Ethnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
- 23 October 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam said drug abuse was worsening educational and social conditions in the North, which he linked to a decline in the Northern Province’s education rankings after 2009. He supported government efforts to eliminate drugs but urged a shift from punitive measures against users toward a public health and human rights approach, citing a 2023 UN Human Rights Office report and prison overcrowding as evidence of policy failure. He called for harsher action against traffickers, the removal of the military from anti-drug operations—particularly in the North and East—and the issuance of a White Paper for public and expert consultation. Adjournment Debate: Organized Crime, Drug Trafficking and Nation Together Programme (Ratama Ekata) Justice & Human RightsLaw & OrderSecurity & Defence Read →