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- 21 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam argued that development funding must be directed through a proper, purposeful process rather than ad hoc allocations. He warned that merely announcing large sums to appease affected communities, while diverting resources elsewhere, would fail to rebuild the areas concerned or protect and strengthen people’s livelihoods. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Twenty-sixth Day) and Third Reading Public Finance Read →
- 21 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam questioned the Government’s approach to allocating Rs. 500 million for Jaffna, referring to a DCC meeting where views were sought on how to spend the funds. He argued that the war-affected North requires a comprehensive needs assessment and coordinated planning before allocations are made, rather than ad hoc requests for suggestions. He reiterated that development of the North and East should be based on identified needs to rebuild the weakened regional economy. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Twenty-sixth Day) and Third Reading Public FinanceInfrastructure Read →
- 21 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam raised concerns about depositors of The Finance Company, particularly in the North and East, arguing that many war-affected and retired persons relied on such deposits for income and have received little or nothing following the company’s 2019 liquidation. He questioned the collection of nearly Rs. 1 billion shortly before closure, criticized the sale of assets at low values, and urged the Finance Ministry to ensure repayment of capital with interest and provide justice to affected investors. He also highlighted the case of 14 Samurdhi Development Officers in Jaffna whose Grade I promotions were delayed from 2006 to 2012 due to missing interview records, requesting corrective action for the administrative error. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage (Twenty-sixth Day) and Third Reading Public FinanceEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
- 15 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam criticized successive governments’ use of the Foreign Affairs Ministry to counter international scrutiny over alleged violations during the ethnic conflict and argued that the current Government has not changed this approach. Citing the 2015 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ recommendation for a hybrid special court, he said any credible accountability process must include international judges, prosecutors, investigators and witness protection, and that a purely domestic mechanism or truth commission without prosecutorial powers would lack victims’ confidence. He also asked the Minister to question the Chinese Ambassador over political comments made in Jaffna and raised concern about reported Chinese proposals for a cultural centre in Jaffna following a visit by China’s National Ethnic Affairs Commission. Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025, Twenty-first Allotted Day - Committee Stage, Head 112 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism) Corruption & Governance ReformForeign AffairsJustice & Human Rights Read →
- 10 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam urged fuller implementation of the Subodhini Salary Commission recommendations for teachers and principals, arguing that the current Budget’s three-year increments fall short and proposing that funds be reprioritized from areas such as unnecessary Ministries and Defence. He called for an end to Civil Security Department-run preschools in the Northern Province, describing them as militarization of education, and requested that all preschools be brought under the Education Ministry with comparable salaries. He also highlighted urgent Northern Province education needs, including about Rs. 2 billion for incomplete facilities and significant teacher, administrative and minor staff vacancies, and asked that a UGC promotion examination be held in Jaffna or at least Vavuniya for the convenience of affected applicants. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Public FinanceEducationEmployment Read →
- 6 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam paid tribute to the late M.P. Sivanesan and two Tamil media figures, then raised health-sector concerns in the Northern Province during the Health and Mass Media debate. He urged immediate action on Jaffna Teaching Hospital’s cadre approvals, infrastructure needs, and especially a new maternity unit, citing severe overcrowding and unsafe conditions, and requested the return or allocation of identified lands for the hospital’s expansion as a future national hospital. He also called for administrative restructuring and a dedicated allocation for the Tellippalai Trail Cancer Hospital, including a CT scanner, and asked that dispenser cadre shortages be addressed by converting positions to pharmacists where qualified pharmacists are available. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage: Ministry of Health and Mass Media HealthcareEmploymentLand & Housing Read →
- 5 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam welcomed the Motion but argued that it ignored the extent of militarization in the North and East, where he said most military divisions and coastal Navy camps remain stationed on or near civilian lands. He questioned whether the drug crisis could have developed without military involvement, citing alleged links between security forces and past incidents such as the “Grease Devil” phenomenon and the “Aava group.” He urged the Government to recognize that the existing military presence and mindset toward Tamils cannot be relied upon to resolve the problem unless fundamentally changed. Adjournment Motion: Jaffna - Social Impact of Drug Addiction Among Youth Law & OrderEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionSecurity & Defence Read →
- 5 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam raised concerns about northern fishermen, particularly in Jaffna, facing losses from Indian poaching despite a heavy Navy presence, and called for compensation and stronger protection. He urged the Ministry to provide substantial financial assistance, including support for multiday boats, and to ensure the Myliddy harbour benefits local fishermen by handing management to northern fishermen’s federations. He also objected to outside fishermen operating in Nayaru and to sea cucumber permits allegedly granted to non-locals in Kudaarappu, requesting immediate regulatory action. He further asked for dredging, groyne strengthening, and improved coastal access roads from Karkovalam to Neduntivu to support safe fishing operations. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Committee Stage Continued: Heads 124, 151, 331 AgricultureSecurity & DefenceEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
- 4 March 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam raised administrative service issues affecting the Northern and Eastern Provinces, urging intervention to restore local government suboffice functions in the North for matters such as building permits, land subdivisions and street line certificates. He requested the division of the large Chavakachcheri Divisional Secretariat and the creation of a new secretariat centred on Kodikamam. He also called for the Kalmunai-North Divisional Secretariat, recognized and upgraded through decisions since 1989 and 1993, to be allowed to function fully with necessary staff and without downgrading or transferring functions to Kalmunai-South. Appropriation Bill 2025 — Twelfth Allotted Day — Committee Stage Corruption & Governance ReformInfrastructure Read →
- 1 March 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam welcomed the idea of an Independent Prosecutor’s Office but argued it must be genuinely independent, adequately resourced, and empowered to direct investigations and prosecute, particularly where the Attorney-General’s Department faces conflicts of interest in cases involving State actors. He cited habeas corpus cases, alleged mass graves at Kokkuthoduvai, Mannar and Chemmani, and contested antiquity/religious site disputes as examples where evidence preservation, credible procedures and institutional independence are needed. He also raised concerns about the predominance of former Attorney-General’s Department officers in apex court appointments, arguing that it affects perceptions of judicial credibility and disadvantages career judges. Committee of Supply: Ministry of Justice and National Integration (Head 110, Heads 228-236, Head 326) Justice & Human RightsLaw & OrderEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
- 28 February 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam requested a Division and stated that he would call for a physical Division only on Head 103. He asked that the record reflect opposition to Heads 103, 222, 223, 224, 320, 325 and 225, with the Division to be treated as applying to all those Heads. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage Voting & Amendments (Heads 103, 189, 222-226, 304, 320, 325) Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 28 February 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam opposed the Defence and Public Security allocations in the 2025 Budget, arguing that increased defence spending and military salary hikes are unjustified in the absence of war and amid fiscal constraints and reduced social welfare expenditure. He said the heavy military presence in the North and East, particularly the reported soldier-to-civilian ratios in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi, signals continued militarization of Tamil-speaking areas and contradicts the Government’s stated commitment to ending racism. He also criticized the defence establishment’s employment of preschool teachers at higher salaries than the Education Ministry, saying it militarizes education in impoverished war-affected areas. He tabled two reports on military deployment and stated that his party would call for a Division and vote against the Defence and Public Security Heads. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage Debate Continued (Afternoon) Public FinanceEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionSecurity & Defence Read →
- 27 February 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam criticized proposed changes to the Tax Appeals Commission process, particularly the requirement for a 25 per cent cash deposit before an appeal and the restriction on submitting new evidence or raising new issues at appeal hearings. He argued these measures would deter investors, undermine natural justice, and create risks of corruption, and asked the Government to reconsider them. He also urged the Government not to follow previous approaches toward minorities, especially Tamils in the North and East. Debate: Committee Stage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill - Special Expenditure Heads (Heads 1-25) and Amendments Corruption & Governance ReformPublic FinanceJustice & Human Rights Read →
- 27 February 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam welcomed the response but urged that the relevant charge or requirement be waived at least for senior citizens, stating that he remained unconvinced by the explanation. He then referred the House to Annexure IV of the President’s Budget Speech, indicating a continued focus on budget-related provisions. Debate: Committee Stage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill - Special Expenditure Heads (Heads 1-25) and Amendments Public Finance Read →
- 27 February 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam raised concerns about the independence and effectiveness of the Human Rights Commission, citing unresolved complaints from 2023 relating to arrests of protesters, journalists and lawyers at Thaiyiddy despite court conditions permitting the protest. He argued that in the North and East, where he said police conduct is militarized and mistrusted, the Commission is a crucial domestic avenue for accountability and must be allowed to investigate and complete inquiries. He also criticized the Government’s transitional justice position, saying references to the OMP, reparations, ONUR and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission are inadequate without criminal investigations and prosecutions for wartime atrocities, and urged the President and Government to act differently if they are to sustain claims of “system change.” Debate: Committee Stage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill - Special Expenditure Heads (Heads 1-25) and Amendments Justice & Human RightsEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionLaw & Order Read →
- 25 February 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam assessed the Budget against whether it marked a substantive departure from past policies affecting Tamils in the North and East, arguing that it lacked targeted measures for war-affected districts despite the Government’s stated commitments. He questioned allocations for northern roads and the Jaffna Library, called for protectionist and special economic provisions for the North and East, and highlighted disparities in district capital funding. He also raised concerns over the militarization of preschool education, land seizures by the Forest Department and High Security Zones, dairy land disputes in Mayilathamadu and Madhavanai, and irrigation projects such as Maduru Oya and Lower Malwathu Oya, warning that these could perpetuate displacement and colonization unless addressed. Second Reading Debate: Appropriation Bill 2025 (Day 1-7) Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionPublic FinanceEducation Read →
- 17 February 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam stated that the Opposition supports the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill but urged the Government and Election Commission not to call for nominations before 21 March, when the Budget Debate concludes. He argued that, as the sole MP and General Secretary of his party, he would be unable both to participate in the Budget Debate and to sign nomination papers across electorates, effectively limiting his parliamentary representation. He noted that the Bill allows up to three months to call nominations and requested only a short delay within that period, asking the Government and Opposition to jointly convey this practical concern to the Election Commission. Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill: Second Reading Parliamentary ProcedureLaw & Order Read →
- 7 February 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam welcomed the Prime Minister’s remarks on the investigation into the killing of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and stressed the significance of Wickrematunge’s daughter calling for the impeachment of the Attorney-General. He urged the Government to respond with commensurate seriousness and urgency, describing the case as emblematic and Wickrematunge as a widely respected journalist across political and ethnic lines. Ministerial Statements on Justice Department, Foreign Employment, and Hydrated Lime Importation Justice & Human RightsLaw & Order Read →
- 7 February 2025 AI summary G.G. Ponnambalam briefly indicated that he had one additional matter to raise before the Deputy Speaker. No substantive issue, proposal, or demand was stated in the excerpt provided. Ministerial Statements on Justice Department, Foreign Employment, and Hydrated Lime Importation Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 7 February 2025 AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam asked the Prime Minister to respond to a letter from Lasantha Wickrematunge’s daughter calling for the impeachment of the Attorney-General over alleged abuse of power and neglect of duty. He argued that, despite the Government’s position that the Attorney-General’s Department is independent, allegations by a victim’s family against its head require Government attention, and sought clarification on any action being considered. Ministerial Statements on Justice Department, Foreign Employment, and Hydrated Lime Importation Corruption & Governance ReformJustice & Human Rights Read →