The Hon. R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I rise while one of our Moneragala District MPs is in the Chair. Today the Chairman of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya was shot dead. We condemn this. He was democratically elected with 67% of the vote. During his election to the Chair there were incidents; Ministers came in numbers to intimidate and even threatened the Provincial Commissioner. Two members disappeared—what happened to those investigations? Today he was shot dead in his office. This is the 101st shooting this year; 57 dead so far. The Government must take responsibility for this collapse in security. This is a political assassination.

¶ 02 We remember many slain political figures: Keerthi Abeywickrama, Lionel Jayatilleke, G.V.S. de Silva, Merril Kariyawasam, Jinadasa Weerasinghe, Vijaya Kumaratunga, Harsha Abeywardena. Today’s killing is because one dared do democratic politics. Even MPs’ security is reduced. Where is the country heading? Some governing party local leaders boast they are ready to kill by the hundreds. We ask the Speaker to ensure security for politicians. The Government must protect our 76-year democratic tradition.

¶ 03 On food security: have these levies protected farmers? No. Upcountry potato farmers are forced to sell at Rs. 180/kg, below cost. Big onion farmers cannot sell. If 50,000 MT local harvest was due, the levy should have been imposed before the harvest.

¶ 04 There is a Department of Investment Policy; there is a Director-General who issues Gazettes. Yet this Gazette was issued under the President’s hand two weeks after, whereas your Food Policy and Security Committee decided two weeks prior. Why was the D-G Pradeep Kumar removed? In those two weeks, importers were alerted, and 23,000 MT of potatoes came in under the old levy. The benefit did not go to the farmer.