10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law

Samagi Jana Balawegaya· Mahanuwara· 27 February 2025 ·Debate: Debate: Committee Stage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill - Special Expenditure Heads (Heads 1-25) and Amendments

Justice & Human RightsForeign AffairsParliamentary Procedure
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Hon. Rauff Hakeem referred to the President’s Budget speech criticism of the previous interim administration over suppression of the public and postponement of the 2023 Local Government Elections, and called for immediate action on cases arising from the Aragalaya protests. He also questioned the consistency of the Government’s claims of inclusivity in Geneva with parliamentary practice, alleging that Opposition access to the Business Committee was being restricted and urging that such changes not be made unilaterally.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 Very well.

¶ 02 Mr. Chairman, I also wish to quote from the President’s Budget speech preface criticizing the previous interim administration for suppressing the people and postponing the 2023 local elections, noting public aspirations were thwarted. In that context, I reiterate the need to address Aragalaya cases immediately.

¶ 03 Moreover, the Foreign Minister’s Geneva statement claiming inclusivity contrasts with Opposition experience here, where access to the Business Committee is being curtailed. This should not be done unilaterally.

Provenance

Source
Hansard, Thursday, 27 February 2025 ·No. 1741437399068186 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 27 February 2025. No. 1741437399068186. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/13232