Sitting of Friday, 7 February 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1739786070060795 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Announcements: Privilege Question on Non-Allocation of Speaking Time 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers: Ministerial Reports and Annual Reports 2 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions: Citizens' Petitions Tabled 5 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Answers to Questions and Second Round Questions 99 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: National Schools in Colombo North 2 speeches
- 6 Papers Ministerial Statements on Justice Department, Foreign Employment, and Hydrated Lime Importation 26 speeches
- 7 Procedural Procedural Motions on Standing Order Exemption and Time Amendment 8 speeches
- 8 Debate Private Members' Motion 1: Acquisition of Estate Roads to the Government 25 speeches
- 9 Debate Private Members' Motion 2: Proper Procurement Programme for Co-operatives 15 speeches
- 10 Debate Private Members' Motion 3: Making Arrangements for Maintaining a Rice Reserve 16 speeches
- 11 Debate Private Members' Motion 4: Appointment of Labour Welfare Officers 9 speeches
- 12 Debate Private Members' Motion 5: Abolishing the Pension Scheme of Members of Parliament 20 speeches
- 13 Debate Private Members' Motion 6: Select Committee to Investigate COVID-19 Cremation Decisions 14 speeches
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB
AI summary Hon. Rauff Hakeem moved a resolution to appoint a Select Committee to investigate the State’s mandatory cremation policy for COVID-19 deaths in 2020 and recommend measures to ensure justice for affected families. He argued that the policy contradicted WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, ICRC and local expert guidance permitting safe burial, denied next-of-kin religious rites and last respects, and disproportionately affected Muslims and other religious minorities. He cited UN Human Rights Council resolutions of 2021 and 2022 calling for investigation and protection of religious burial rights, and noted that burials were later permitted only after local and international pressure.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Mujibur Rahman SJB
AI summary Mujibur Rahman seconded Rauff Hakeem’s motion calling for a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate the former Government’s COVID-19 forced cremation policy, which he said ignored WHO guidance and infringed the burial rights of several religious communities. He argued that both political leaders and public officials involved in promoting claims such as groundwater risk should be examined, including whether they acted knowingly or under political pressure. He urged Parliament to establish facts, assign accountability and make binding recommendations to prevent such decisions recurring.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe JJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe said the COVID-19 “cremation only” policy was not technically justified but resulted from political decision-making and anti-Muslim sentiment under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government. He cited the initial March 2020 clinical guidelines allowing burial or cremation in line with WHO guidance, followed by an April circular and Gazette mandating cremation, and argued that a later expert committee’s groundwater-contamination hypothesis helped entrench the policy. He also referred to broader COVID-19 management failures caused by political interference, and supported further inquiries into the matter.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. M. S. Uthumalebbe SLMC
AI summary Hon. M. S. Uthumalebbe supported Hon. Rauff Hakeem’s Private Member’s Motion to appoint a Select Committee to inquire into the compulsory cremation of COVID-19 victims under the Rajapaksa administration. He argued that there was no medical justification for cremating Muslim Janazas, citing WHO guidance that allowed burial or cremation and noting appeals from religious leaders against the policy. He described the decision as a grave injustice to Muslims, thanked opposition figures who opposed it at the time, and alleged that the policy was politically motivated against Muslims.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe SLMC
AI summary Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe said he had warned former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa against the compulsory cremation of Muslim COVID-19 victims and called for a Parliamentary Select Committee to ensure such injustices do not recur. He expressed concern that the requested list of COVID-19 deceased persons whose remains were cremated had not been tabled, unlike other compensation-related lists. He also highlighted the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress’s role in reducing the parliamentary representation threshold to 5 per cent and sought cooperation and respect for Muslim community leaders, while noting a pending court matter over an event in Addalaichenai.
- The Hon. M.K.M. Aslam JJB
AI summary Hon. M.K.M. Aslam supported the Private Member’s Motion by Hon. Rauff Hakeem concerning the mandatory cremation of COVID-19 victims, stating that the policy caused grave injustice to Muslims and appeared politically motivated rather than scientifically based. He argued that past governments used ethnic and religious divisions for political gain and called for health, agricultural, and economic policies that would prevent such incidents from recurring. He urged opposition cooperation in implementing policies that protect all communities and ensure peaceful coexistence.
- The Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem
AI summary Urging support for the Private Member’s Motion to appoint a Special Parliamentary Committee on the forced cremation of COVID-19 victims, Mohamed Sali Naleem argued that the policy caused grave hardship to Muslims and others and should be formally investigated. He highlighted the role of Majma Nagar in Ottamavadi, where villagers provided 17 acres for COVID-19 burials, and requested compensation or alternative land for them, as well as the immediate establishment of a school for the area’s children. He also raised concerns about youths arrested during the Aragalaya protests, particularly in his district, and asked Parliament to ensure legal relief, rehabilitation programmes, and discharge from cases where appropriate.
- The Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa – Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip
AI summary Nalinda Jayatissa supported the motion’s concern over the COVID-19 cremation policy, arguing that compulsory cremations were politically driven and lacked scientific basis. He said the policy caused serious suffering to Muslim families and others whose religious rites were denied, while acknowledging that health officials nevertheless worked to control the pandemic under difficult conditions. He stated that the current government would follow expert guidance, protect religious and national freedoms, and prevent similar incidents from recurring.
- The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB
AI summary Hon. Rauff Hakeem clarified that the COVID-19 cremation policy was decided early, after the second death, and was not originally based on Prof. Meththika Vithanage’s later views on groundwater transmission. He argued that a committee should be appointed to examine all scientific claims and criticized officials for withholding information under the Right to Information process, saying this obstructed the search for truth. He also objected to remarks portraying the absence of a Muslim Cabinet Minister as a positive development, noting that Muslims had held Cabinet positions since Independence.
- 14 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Sri Lanka Cricket Development and Anti-Corruption Measures 6 speeches