The Hon. Major General (Rtd.) G.D. Sooriyabandara

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, I am grateful for the opportunity to express views on the Heads of Expenditure of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Security on behalf of the Government.

¶ 02 Earlier, some Opposition Members tried to trivialize isolated underworld killings as national security issues. I will not respond to views made without understanding the concept of national security; it is a broad and complex subject. They tried to say only Sri Lanka has such killings. I do not condone underworld activities; we must end them. Even in developed countries, especially the USA, we saw schoolchildren being killed. We must prevent such incidents here, and as a Government we will fulfill that duty.

¶ 03 The Hon. former Minister in charge of Police under Yahapalana commented on the Easter Sunday attacks. There were several commissions and court proceedings. Yet neither the former President, former Prime Minister, former Defence Secretary, IGP, nor the then Minister of Public Security took responsibility; everyone escaped it. I state clearly: we will deliver justice to Easter victims and bring masterminds before the law under our Government. Another section—innocent Muslims—also suffered and our national harmony was severely damaged; we will deliver justice to them as well. After punishing the masterminds, victims will have justice.

¶ 04 At the start of today’s debate, an Opposition MP said the Army has no food and rations are being issued. That data must be from the previous government’s time. Under our Government, there is no such shortage in rations.

¶ 05 An Hon. Member from the Northern Province spoke about the Army. That has long been their political line—to remove the Army from that region. I served 35 years in the Army, most of it in the North and East, ending in Mullaitivu. The Army renders a great service to civilians there—civil-military coordination, coordinating with NGOs to develop the region. There is no public opposition as claimed; rather, politicians try to expand the issue for their politics and vote banks. The last election dimmed their expectations.

¶ 06 Wrong political decisions after Independence dragged our country into a destructive war, costing many innocent lives in North and South; property and the economy suffered; families nationwide still feel that pain. As a Government, we will ensure such a crisis never recurs, prioritizing national security.

¶ 07 In 2009, we ended the war. I wish to speak about the Tri-Forces and their role. We have skilled, resilient personnel who made great sacrifices. Unfortunately, after 2009, politicians systematically politicized the Tri-Forces. Although we may differ politically, the treatment of the then wartime Army Commander, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka—arresting and jailing him—was the beginning of this disgrace.

¶ 08 As a Government, we will give the Tri-Forces the honour due for ending the war. We entered politics via the National People’s Power’s “Adhitana” Retired Tri-Forces Collective to change political culture. While in service we engaged in no politics; only after retirement we exercised democratic rights. Regrettably, because we joined the NPP, former Commanders influenced against many of our retired members; even the current Defence Secretary, then a government official, had been blacklisted by the Air Force; we were barred from entering Army camps. Many expected us to remove former Commanders and appoint our loyalists. We acted democratically, did not remove them before term, and have appointed capable, skilled Commanders to lead a professional, depoliticized military.

¶ 09 On what we intend to do: the President, as Commander-in-Chief, has set out how we will ensure national security. Chief among them: prevent politicization of the Tri-Forces, provide the necessary political leadership, and grant Commanders the freedom to fulfill their institutional mandates.

¶ 10 We follow a non-aligned foreign policy, aiming to minimize and eliminate external threats and pressures. Global trends show technology over manpower; in the Russia–Ukraine war, we see tech use. We aim to equip the Tri-Forces with technology and build a professional military.

¶ 11 I also draw attention of the President as Defence Minister and the Hon. Deputy Minister of Defence: while discussing national security, there is a quiet workforce supporting it—private security guards of licensed private security companies who safeguard key points, schools, and tourist sites 24/7. Are they paid adequately for their sacrifice? I am not speaking for Avant Garde, but we must regulate even Avant Garde and many small security outfits. Under proper regulation, retired Tri-Forces personnel serving there should receive fair wages.