The Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, many are focused on today’s subject. Earlier, some said they would tutor the Opposition and the public on national security. Today, they are the ones listening to our tuition. Many are trying to politicize national security, pointing fingers at us.

¶ 02 But national security is tied to national economy. Without sustainable development, there is no security. Unrest among southern youth arose; I will not apportion blame now, but the reality is this: the northern youth struggle turned into terrorism. In every case, where there is no sustainable development, national security is threatened; where there is sustainable development, security is strengthened. Energy stability is essential—if a monkey or a civet can knock out national power, there is little point in separate security debates. That is for CEB and Energy Ministry, but those serious about security must consider it.

¶ 03 Recently we saw activities by armed groups—some call it underworld, armed gangs, turf wars—but what lies beneath? Those responsible must do a deep analysis. We still speak of masterminds of Easter; we speak of political interference. Senior police officers then are still serving under your Government. What did we see then?

¶ 04 On 2017-03-10, the Kattankudy Aliyar Junction clash; on 2019-04-16, the Kalmunai–Thirukkovil/Thalankuda bike blast; 100 kg of explosives in Puttalam; Mawanella Buddha statue vandalism. Informants were shot with guns forced into their mouths. The then Government called these isolated incidents, or blamed political maneuvering. The result: Easter Sunday attacks. To date, no accountable person. If, after the first incident, those responsible for national security had implemented a plan, studied linkages between incidents, and acted on intelligence, this could have been prevented.

¶ 05 We know synthetic drugs are produced around the Golden Triangle; “ice” and heroin routes flow through the Indian Ocean via South Asia. If Sri Lanka becomes a maritime hub, we must understand: alongside legitimate transshipment, this region hosts areas where weak governance allows mafias and traffickers to operate. Sri Lanka is becoming a center for these flows and a large market domestically; over the last decade, heroin and ice use have grown, gangs have formed, turf wars to protect markets ensued, and Sri Lanka is being transformed into a South Asian distribution node. We must confront this.

¶ 06 Politicizing a courthouse incident or any single event will not solve it. You cannot transfer 130–150 officers at once and think it is solved. This is an organized, global drug-linked enterprise. If we view it as uniquely Sri Lankan, in time it will morph—as with Easter—and blaming later will be futile.

¶ 07 We saw rifts then among IGP, Government, President, and PM. Today, we see friction between IGP and Police Commission. Such conflicts degrade intelligence coordination and raise national security risks, impacting the economy, deterring investors and tourists, and dragging the entire economy down.

¶ 08 In the next five years you will face special challenges: extremism—across the region and globally—must not be treated lightly; extremism can evolve into terrorism, dragging us again into crisis. Next, organized crime: our geography makes us a maritime center; synthetic drugs from Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and heroin from Afghanistan transship across the Indian Ocean; Sri Lanka becomes both hub and market. The Government must focus more and view it as a network, not isolated events.

¶ 09 Next, cyber security. The President speaks of digitization; the world is moving to a digital economy. We saw pyramid scams in Sri Lanka, with losses reaching USD 100 million before action; that is no justice. Cyber attacks and cyber security require far better preparedness. What is your plan, Hon. Minister? Inform Parliament of measures against such threats.

¶ 10 Next, public unrest. We saw an aragalaya in Sri Lanka; also in Bangladesh and Pakistan. With global economic shifts and geopolitics, such movements recur. Are we prepared? Our aragalaya arose from energy security and fuel issues—everything is interconnected. You must approach this with full awareness and have a national plan, not just point at the past.

¶ 11 I saw the Deputy Minister claim my security had underworld involvement; if so, present it properly, with evidence—do not misuse parliamentary privilege to mislead people.

¶ 12 Finally, I propose: you have removed MPs’ vehicle permits—good. Insurance reduced—fine. Let us also remove the privilege to lie in Parliament. Bring a Private Member’s Bill or the Government can bring one—empower the Privileges Committee to act. Otherwise, members hide behind privileges to hurl falsehoods. Let us remove the privilege to lie and conduct ourselves with goodwill.