Hon. M.K.M. Aslam

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. I second the motion moved by our COPE Chair.

¶ 02 First, I must express sorrow over the tragedy at the “Naa Uyana” Forest Monastery in Melsiripura, Kurunegala, where seven monks passed away due to an accident on Wednesday night. On behalf of all communities in Kurunegala, I express condolences.

¶ 03 As the Chair stated, we in COPE selected a team and identified that COPE itself must undergo reforms. Tri-monthly reports were submitted in the past and then left in the Library; that is not enough. We must adopt a scientific process for selecting institutions for examination, identify common issues, and above all ensure that, following COPE inquiries, there is a legal pathway to act against the corrupt by amending Standing Orders and bringing necessary legal provisions. Hence our Standing Orders amendment linking COPE findings to the Bribery Commission and Police.

¶ 04 Some officials appear before COPE as if daring us to extract answers. Many public officials work efficiently and apolitically; however, some do not, and that must change.

¶ 05 We must scientifically select entities to summon and identify their core problems. Often behind corruption are politicians who take decisions for political gain and force officials to implement them. In recent COPE sessions we examined the National Youth Services Council, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), and others, and saw instances where political decisions drove malpractice. Corruption cannot occur without some official complicity; but frequently only a few officials are complicit.

¶ 06 Internal audit in public entities is weak. In some, there is no internal auditor for months; in others, internal audit functions without any link to the Auditor General. We intend that future COPE reports will not merely be tabled and shelved; after enacting legal pathways and Standing Orders changes to enable action against the corrupt, we will submit our reports.

¶ 07 I also wish to commend the President’s address at the 80th UN General Assembly, where he spoke against corruption, poverty, and narcotics, and raised a strong voice for Palestine. Some in the Opposition engage in duplicity on Palestine, while our NPP acts consistently inside and outside Parliament.

¶ 08 In the Cabinet and elsewhere there are many Muslim Ministers, yet key issues affecting Muslims often go unaddressed. Yesterday, the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Training took a significant decision: Muslim schoolgirls will be allowed to wear culturally appropriate attire and attend school in Sinhala, Tamil, or English media. For years after Easter 2019, certain provincial and zonal directors arbitrarily barred cultural attire. This decision reverses that and allows Muslim girls to attend school in culturally appropriate dress. I welcome this.