The Hon. D.V. Chanaka

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, while the whole world debates U.S. import tariffs today, we are debating a 25-year-old Batalanda Commission Report. Accusations are hurled at those who came from the UNP to the SJB, and at the JVP—now the “Maalimawa” Government—then branded terrorist.

¶ 02 If Batalanda is so important to them, look who is in the Chamber: only a handful—8 out of 159. There was no interest until Al Jazeera’s interview with Ranil Wickremesinghe brought Batalanda back; then the Frontline Socialist Party demanded a debate, and the Maalimawa Government granted it.

¶ 03 We speak of a 76-year curse; look at 38 of those years—the economy destroyed, transformers burnt, the Temple of the Tooth bombed, agrarian centres torched. This is what happened.

¶ 04 Today they justify: “We took up arms because J.R. banned us.” But he also banned the NSSP and the Communist Party; they went to court within the democratic framework. You took up arms, killed politicians like Vijaya Kumaratunga, professors, principals, teachers; robbed banks—62 in my area alone. Proper investigations would put many JVPers behind bars. This is how our economic collapse began.

¶ 05 Sri Lanka was reborn after 2009; we rebuilt from broken bridges, roads, burnt stores and centres. COVID-19 hit, but still you blame 76 years while half that time was marked by your chaos. Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member.