The Hon. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

¶ 01 [2.03 p.m.]

¶ 02 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, I wish to record condolences with respect to two former Members. First, our former MP for Batticaloa District from the Tamil National Alliance, the late T. Kanagasabai. When he was first elected to Parliament in 2004 as a TNA Member, I too was a Member of a partner party within the Alliance. He won with an overwhelming mandate from Batticaloa. Before electoral politics, he had long served in the public service, widely loved by the people, working throughout his life to ease their burdens. Because of his people-centered service, the LTTE—especially its Leader, Mr. Prabhakaran—wanted him in the TNA, and all Tamil nationalist parties held him in high regard. He joined the Alliance and won resoundingly.

¶ 03 His formal parliamentary career lasted from 2004 to 2010—six years that were among the most challenging in Tamil politics, marked by paramilitarism, assassination of those committed to the “merged North-East” Tamil homeland position, and intense pressure to act against Tamil nationalist thinking. Even in that environment, Mr. Kanagasabai was a staunch Tamil nationalist who rejected parochialism, yet, while firm on Tamil identity and the merged North-East, he respected Muslims and Sinhalese living there and held that if they wished to live in the Tamil area, they should enjoy full rights and protection. He was a respected moderate with great integrity, and that is the primary reason for my admiration.

¶ 04 After May 2009, as internal debates and policy shifts arose within the TNA, his contributions were substantial, always grounded in justice and fairness. However, when policy differences led to splits, as a person who loved the Tamil nation, he chose to step away from electoral politics rather than compromise his principles. His loss to the Tamil nation is irreparable. We extend deep condolences to his family.

¶ 05 Now, I wish to pay respects to the late Hon. (Prof.) Tissa Vitarana. I served in Parliament during my first stint (2001–2010) when he was also a Member. He was a colossus in the Left as long-time LSSP Leader and perhaps the last of the old Left intellectuals, contributing far beyond professional expertise and the usual bounds of Left politics. The key moment that heightened my respect was during Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Government when COVID-19 struck: he publicly opposed the policy of compulsory cremation of COVID-infected bodies, especially Muslim janazahs, based on scientific grounds, at a time when few dared to dissent. That courage to stand for what was right earns enduring respect. I extend my respects to his family, party and supporters.