The Hon. Aboobucker Athambawa

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, since this morning the Adjournment Motion by Hon. Shritharan on human rights has been debated. Since this Government came to power we have been attentive to human rights. Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Christians — all must live together and build the country. We are working to unite all communities, for which the people have given a mandate to the National People’s Power. With that mandate, we work intensely to rebuild the country and hand a better future to the next generation.

¶ 02 Hon. Shritharan argued there are two peoples by language — Sinhala-speakers and Tamil-speakers. Even at the outset I felt that frame itself is contrary to the spirit of human rights. We also spoke of federalism; why fear “federalism”? Muslims live in the North and East as well. What plans do you have for them? Hon. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam did not clarify.

¶ 03 A strong lesson is being taught now: politics based on ethnicity will be rejected. Across all districts, development projects are underway; people want to join with the Government. Recently, the hartal jointly called by Tamil parties and the SLMC failed. If people were with them, it would have succeeded. The failure shows they lack popular support. Whether federal solutions or resolving Tamil or Muslim issues — these must be discussed and settled with the Government. New ideas built on ethnic bases will not move the country forward. We all must understand: a divided, separatist politics will not rebuild this nation.

¶ 04 Muslims were expelled from the North; justice has still not been delivered to them. Both Opposition and Government-side Muslim MPs previously failed to raise and resolve this properly. One Member today said the Government must ensure justice and fairness — the same person who, despite attacking Gotabaya Rajapaksa, did business with his brother Basil. We see such speeches as deceptive to Muslims — this politics will become irrelevant.

¶ 05 Hon. Hisbullah of the SLMC is here; in the North and East, party supporters expect him to be leader. The current leadership brought him in, but we saw statements that he cannot be coddled just because he is Muslim. Nevertheless, he has been accommodated; our Hon. Rauff Hakeem knows this is also a kind of politics. Politics must be to rebuild the country, not to create pressure to topple Governments or incite revolutions.

¶ 06 In Ampara, harvesting has begun; farmers are selling paddy at the Government’s guaranteed price of Rs. 120 and are happy. We are improving roads and have given 102 houses to the poor. Development continues: the Gal Oya scheme has allocations of Rs. 900 million — we are now developing the downstream, expecting agricultural uplift. Let us all unite to rebuild the country. Thank you.