The Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen

¶ 01 Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to speak in this debate on the Institution of Real Estate Professionals of Sri Lanka Bill.

¶ 03 While I was away from the Chamber earlier today, Hon. Minister Bimal Rathnayake answered a Member’s question. I must state that his answer regarding the Mannar–Puttalam road was not acceptable. I have always held a good opinion of him, but on this matter I cannot agree.

¶ 04 The Mannar–Puttalam road is nearly 100 years old—a classified B-type route. When I was Minister, I opened it for public use. It was closed when terrorists drove us from the land; people were displaced and the area depopulated. After the war ended in 2009, people returned to their traditional villages—Murikkandy/Murichchukkaddi, Karadikuli, Palaikkuli, Periyamadu, Mullikkulam, etc. In 2012, without their knowledge, the then-government secretly gazetted Periyamadu (a DS division) as Forest/Conservation land, and similarly gazetted parts of Palaikkuli, Mullikkulam, Karadikuli, Alakkattu, and Kondachchi. Though I was then with the government, I consistently protested.

¶ 05 Some monks from the majority community, with no link to Mannar, came and portrayed me as a destroyer of forests; media aired views opposing resettlement. At that time, some Sinhalese from the South, with no connection to the road, filed a case to close the Mannar–Puttalam road. I was named a respondent (fourth), along with the Departments of Wildlife Conservation and Forests, and former Minister Basil Rajapaksa—my name being there only as the area MP. We faced the case. During President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s time, both Wildlife and Forest Departments recognized it as a permanent road and supported allowing public use; the RDA held the same view. Under President Maithripala Sirisena, the RDA likewise supported the people; the AG’s Department too stood with them. Court cases in Sri Lanka take years.

¶ 06 However, during President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s period, while hearings were ongoing, the road was closed—even though until then the public and vehicles used it. This route shortens travel by about 100 km from Jaffna to Colombo, and similarly from Mannar to Puttalam. If such a road were in a Sinhala-majority area like Hambantota, Colombo, or Gampaha, would any government act so unfairly? I am not making an ethnic point; note that neither the Sirisena, Gotabaya, Ranil, nor Mahinda administrations made the decision now at issue.

¶ 07 Under your NPP government, the Forest Department and Department of Wildlife Conservation went to court and, siding with the petitioners who filed the case years ago, said “we agree; dismiss the case accordingly.” This was done by this government, through its representatives and ministries. There is no court order mandating closure; rather, the State joined the petitioners to effect closure. This is not just.

¶ 08 Yesterday was Independence Day. While the President spoke beautifully at Independence Square, Tamil people in the North and East observed a “Black Day.” As Muslims, we had considered this government free of racism; that was the one good thing we saw. If you move to permanently close this road, we cannot accept it. Some in our community will claim everything you do is right; we acknowledge what is good and have not opposed the good measures you brought in this House over the past year. But if you close the Puttalam–Mannar road, we will oppose it.

¶ 09 Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in Mannar, “When I am President, I will open the Puttalam–Mannar road.” When people protested against the wind power project, the President invited us to the Presidential Secretariat and said, “Allow only this wind power project; we will develop Mannar.” Religious leaders and politicians, including myself, made two requests: do not bring wind power again to Mannar, and open the Puttalam–Mannar road. This road is not for Muslims or Tamils alone; it is a national road. With travel reduced by 100 km, consider the transport cost savings to bring Jaffna products to Colombo, and the tourism boost to that region. Also consider the environmental costs of longer detours. Do not punish people under the pretext of protecting wildlife.

¶ 10 Hon. Ministers responsible for environment and roads: urgently convene us—MPs from Vanni, Jaffna, and Puttalam—and discuss. During elections you promised; now you speak otherwise. Check what you said on YouTube then, compared to now. You promised to open the road, but have now joined those who filed cases 15 years ago. If, together with diaspora agents and petitioners, ministries under this government move to permanently close the road, it will be a grave betrayal of our people.

¶ 11 The North and East have histories of demands for separation; cyanide-wielding youth fought then. We are not asking to divide the country; we ask only to keep a century-old road open. If the government decides to close it, what shall we tell the people who sent us here? Did you discuss this with us?

¶ 12 Hon. Presiding Member, give me 30 seconds. Recently, when the President visited Puttalam, a decision was made to allocate Rs. 600 million to build a large bund on the Mannar–Puttalam road. Please halt this immediately. If that bund is built, the road will be permanently closed. This wrong decision by the NPP government will bring great harm to the country. I conclude. Thank you.