The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, in my absence Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna conveyed an incorrect claim—that I had said a statue would be built for Prabhakaran in the North, as attributed via Hon. Archchuna. I must clarify: I have never said such a thing.

¶ 02 My party leader is Comrade Rohana Wijeweera, for whom I still have deep respect. Many who died in 1989 remain in our hearts. We never said anywhere that we need a special statue for Wijeweera. So how could I go and call for a statue for someone else? That allegation is completely false.

¶ 03 There are many dead in this country—Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim—our sons and daughters. We stand for them, not for any single individual leader. As we have always said, it is not Prabhakaran alone; there were many leaders like Uma Maheswaran, Sabaratnam and others who dreamt for their people, but those struggles were defeated 16 years ago. Now we are engaged in rebuilding the country and reconciliation. Do not undermine this process, do not rekindle racism, and do not spread falsehoods about the JVP or NPP to mislead society. I request the Opposition not to engage in such low tactics.

¶ 04 Thank you.