The Hon. Hector Appuhamy

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Chair, thank you for the opportunity.

¶ 02 Most spoke not on the scheduled subject but on current national and global situations. The President set that tone in the morning. Even Government MPs say his remarks were turned into a joke and diverted. What the President should have presented were concrete measures: as Opposition, we have recordings of what he said before on Trincomalee tanks and railway-station tanks, very differently to now. After taking power, practice differs from past words, and people will judge.

¶ 03 He called the country a “bundu” (gangland) after assuming office. If he cannot even put that “bundu” in order, how will he manage the “cape” (crown)? What he should have set out: what will happen to Sri Lanka due to the war; what steps are taken for our overseas workers; how we will secure supplies of fuel, gas and medicines; how we will sustain exports like tea; how to attract investors; and how our investors abroad will operate under present risks. This is when Sri Lanka must engage the UN, IAEA, WTO and ILO on respective issues, and bring Opposition along to build consensus. The Opposition Leader even proposed convening stakeholders globally; we were not the ones creating queues — your own supporters, whose minds were previously seeded with fear, rushed to them. You bear responsibility for that environment and must now establish proper procedures to resolve it.

¶ 04 We must also raise the current status of the Easter Sunday investigations. As a Catholic myself, I say we are not satisfied with the process. Don’t create dramas like “Salley was arrested without informing the security chiefs.” The President, Defence Minister, Justice Minister, Police Minister and IGP exist — do not turn this into a film to drag time. Also, concerning Ibrahim Naina of the JVP National List then — heavily implicated — now seeking to reclaim seized properties: who protected him? Properly investigate all, including any links to Saharan and any Ministers concerned. Give answers by April 21 as promised; do not cover it all up by arresting Salley when coal issues arise. Conduct full investigations and deliver justice.

¶ 05 Thank you.