The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Alright, I will begin. Let me start with a shot; please listen. The present President has said inside this Parliament that what he said all his life was a complete lie. He says, “Inside Parliament I always speak lies; I tell the truth only outside Parliament.”

¶ 02 I want to know this. Let me ask from our Health Ministry. I was interdicted and paid for three months. I was told not to tell the truth to the country. I have not been here long; I will tell the truth. I was interdicted and paid for three months. At that time I supported them; then he called me. The would-be President. I asked the would-be President, Nalinda Jayatissa, “Brother, shall I give this money?” He said, “Bring it and give it to the Ministry.” But now the Attorney-General in a case is saying a lie that I was paid.

¶ 03 Let me say another matter. For a case I filed in Jaffna in January, by September the police had not taken a statement. When I spoke, the OIC said [Expunged on the order of the Chair]. He said he was told not to take that case. Even after nine months, no statement was taken.

¶ 04 To our would-be President, Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa, I say this. Remember, I started this speech. Remember that when you become President one day, it was I who said this. Hon. Minister, I went and paid the money too. Then, in court, the police were asked, “Where is Archchuna’s statement? Against whom was the case filed?” The police told the Magistrate, “Sorry, Your Honour.” The case I filed was taken up, but the name against whom I filed was not mentioned. The reason: Hon. Sunil Watagala had told him, “Do not proceed with this case.”

¶ 05 Another matter. I too am a doctor, and you too, our would-be President, are a doctor. How many BHTs are we removing? By the time we go through all this, the patients are dead. We run from the canteen and write as if we examined them since 8 a.m. The patients die. I am just asking this: when a Magistrate says “take a statement from Archchuna,” the police form a team, track my phone, sometimes come even when I am in the toilet — a big team. Who are they? [Expunged on the order of the Chair]. They found me in Jaffna while I was in the bathroom and arrested me. If they had called me, I would have come. But when told to take a statement from Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, the police do not go searching bathrooms. Remember, you have conditioned the police to this state. My father too was in the police—captain of the 1960 Police Football Team. The uniform is to do their duty, not to wash the kitchens of these people. Remember that. This is how the police are used.

¶ 06 All high posts in the North, in Jaffna, are given. The reason is I have a grievance. If I open my mouth against you, then—transfers, and the case—