The Hon. Mujibur Rahman

¶ 01 Sir, thank you for allowing me to present a few views under the Heads of Expenditure of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Environment.

¶ 02 In recent times, both in this country and in this Parliament, there have been many remarks about child marriage. A person who is now a Minister spoke on this matter even before entering Parliament recently. Likewise, two weeks ago, Hon. Ramanathan Archuna also spoke about child marriage here, in particular levelling accusations against the Muslim community, saying child marriages occur more in the Muslim community, and that there should be one law for all in this country.

¶ 03 I now have in hand the last available data from the Department of Census and Statistics—2012 was the last time a related survey was conducted; none has been done since. According to that, among child marriages under 17 years in Sri Lanka, 21,510 occurred in the majority Sinhala community (69%); 3,925 in the Sri Lankan Tamil community (13%); 1,312 in the Indian Tamil community (8%); and 4,329 in the Muslim community (14%). Thus, such marriages have occurred in all communities—Sinhala, Sri Lankan Tamil, Indian Tamil, and Muslim. Therefore, this is a general problem. If, instead of treating it as a general problem, one levels accusations only against a single community, then there may be other agendas behind it—political reasons.

¶ 04 When Hon. Ramanathan Archuna spoke, he said there should be one law for all. We know Sri Lanka is a country of many ethnicities, and there are diverse laws. Muslims have a separate Muslim personal law. Those living in Kandy have separate Udarata (Kandyan) Marriage and Divorce law. Similarly, Jaffna Tamils have Thesawalamai. Such laws are needed in a country of many ethnicities with distinct traditions, especially in matters of religion and rights, which must be recognized. All these laws were accepted for so long; no one rejected them. But now, Hon. Ramanathan Archuna is speaking against the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act. If so, is Thesawalamai also unnecessary? Are you against Thesawalamai too? Do you say to remove it? He must answer that. As a representative from a minority community, speaking against another minority is most concerning.

¶ 05 Over the years, many Tamil Members have been in this Parliament; there are such Members now, representing the Northern and Eastern Provinces. They bring forward issues from their regions; none presents views that harm the rights of another ethnicity. Yet Hon. Ramanathan Archuna, while being from one minority, speaks against another minority; I see that as an insult to those who voted for him.

¶ 06 Sir, I raise this because our country is one where multiple ethnic groups live. According to the various religions and nations, there are personal and religious laws long extant. If there are shortcomings, we can discuss and correct them; there is no debate about that.

¶ 07 But to allege that child marriage mainly occurs among Muslims is to pursue a political agenda. According to the 2012 Department of Census and Statistics document—the latest available—the majority community accounts for 69% of child marriages; Sri Lankan Tamils 13%; Indian Tamils 8%; Muslims 14%. The data shows child marriage exists in all communities. It is therefore a general problem. Instead of resolving it as such, to target one community with racist overtones suggests a political agenda. Therefore, we respectfully ask that Hon. Member to speak with greater responsibility. What we say here is recorded in Hansard. We ask him to speak with statistics, not merely repeat hearsay in Parliament.

¶ 08 The Hon. Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs is in the House. I want to bring a special matter to his attention. Within the Mahara Prison compound, there is a Muslim place of worship over 122 years old, built when the British established the Mahara Prison. All the people of the area used it for prayers and religious activities. After the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, on grounds of security, access to that place of worship was banned, and several years have passed. During the previous administrations—President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s and later President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s—when we raised this during Budget debates, they said: “We will provide a separate area because, due to security, it is difficult to reopen it; we will allocate a suitable place for the local people to conduct their religious activities.” But, Hon. Minister, this has still not been fulfilled. If I recall correctly, as Minister of Justice, Hon. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe gave that undertaking in this Parliament; yet it is still unfulfilled. The people of the area face a serious problem; the closure of a place of worship they used for over a century prevents them from practicing their religion. Therefore, I request that either access be restored, or that an alternative suitable land be provided to resolve this.

¶ 09 I must also make a small correction related to my earlier remarks under the Health Ministry’s Head about contrast media. It should be corrected as follows: GE Healthcare supplied a unit at Rs. 2,025. I said Sunshine Healthcare Lanka Limited provided it at Rs. 75,000; this should be corrected to Rs. 7,500 per unit. Even at Rs. 7,500, compared to Rs. 2,025, it is about three times higher. The figure of Rs. 75,000 appears on Swastha, the official digital platform of MSD. If so, there is a problem in the Swastha system’s data. It appears there is a major issue regarding that system and its data. I therefore correct and restate: GE Healthcare’s unit was Rs. 2,025; Sunshine Healthcare Lanka Limited’s Rs. 75,000 should be Rs. 7,500. Thank you.