The Hon. Chanaka Madugoda

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

¶ 02 Day after day in this House, Minister Bimal Rathnayake speaks at length about the Rajapaksas. We understand why: there are issues within his own group concerning the Rajapaksas, and he brings those personal matters here. We ask him not to bring personal issues to Parliament.

¶ 03 I also register our protest regarding a statement made recently in this Chamber during the debate on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Bill. A Member—Hon. Thurairasa Rachikaran—spoke in praise of an LTTE terrorist, calling him a war hero and a brigadier. Is it permissible in this House—whose Members have sworn to uphold the unitary character of the State—to commemorate a terrorist who killed thousands and fought for a separate State? The Deputy Chair was in the Chair then but did not order the statement to be withdrawn or expunged. We ask what action will be taken against Hon. Rachikaran. Where do “brigadiers” exist in a terrorist outfit? Such ranks belong to lawful armies. If Members can glorify LTTE terrorists here, what is the point of our presence?

¶ 04 “Balraj”—you all know who he is—led the attack on the Aalimankada (Elephant Pass) Army camp, in which many of our brave soldiers were killed. If it is possible to glorify such a terrorist in this Parliament, we must all be concerned. We await the Government’s and the Hon. Speaker’s actions on this statement.

¶ 05 While LTTE leaders are being celebrated here, the Government has detained Mr. Salley—who rendered notable intelligence services to the country—under anti-terror laws, preparing charges. Earlier, Minister Bimal Rathnayake spoke about the Easter attacks. Do they have the moral right? He forgets who the father of the two suicide bombers was, and who owned the factory where the bombs were made—it was his party’s National List nominee. Ignoring Ibrahim while politicizing the Easter attack insults the Catholic community. Do not drag the Easter attacks into political games. We should debate this separately with evidence, including from the FBI and Australian Federal Police, showing it was done by a particular extremist group.

¶ 06 Finally, I draw attention to an injustice against Security Officer No. 16649 at the Sapugaskanda Refinery of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. She is in a dire situation; her child has autism; and she is being harassed by senior officials. The Deputy Minister responsible is present—I respectfully request urgent relief.

¶ 07 Thank you.