The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake

¶ 01 Let’s do it. Remove the drug traffickers. Go and see the Philippines. The former President of the Philippines ordered that such people be taken to sea and thrown overboard. That is how the Philippines changed. Earlier, people in the Philippines could not freely walk on the streets. Today that former President is just a bicycle rider; his daughter is the Vice-President; the people live freely. That is how the Philippines became clean. About four years ago, the situation in the Philippines was different. Now the Philippines is clean. If we do that here, it’s fine. We are not saying to spare the underworld. First, remove them all. I need to say that now.

¶ 02 I have more to say now. Look for them and reveal them. Before making a “Clean Sri Lanka,” look into these matters too. Two people have been appointed to the top two positions of the Uva Provincial Council. We know what they did when they served as the Divisional Secretary of Wellawaya. In those days, trees shook when they came. Those are the people who are now appointed to top positions in the Uva Provincial Council. Their files are piled up in the Ministry of Public Administration. Do not appoint such officials to various positions. Then the country will not become clean. No matter how hard the President works, it will not help if others on the side are undermining it. No matter how dedicated the Leader of the House is, no matter how dedicated you are, it will not help if the right people are not appointed. That is what we are saying. We do not need anything special.

¶ 03 I am not saying these things to sit in the President’s chair. While we are in the Opposition, our job is to find and say things in Parliament; laws have been enacted for that. The President is young — the youngest of all who have served so far: D. B. Wijetunga, J. R., Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena — he is younger than all of them. But this President is being attacked more. You should take responsibility for the attacks made on the President. Tell the President to act like a President. There are 159 of you to attack the President on this side. This is not good. Look at the speech the President made that day in Bandaragama. See how many people are telling the President through media programs to take Mahinda Rajapaksa’s house and rent it out for 4.4 million rupees a month. You can’t rent that house for that. Only Chinese with top knots can rent it for 4.4 million. No one will buy houses in Wijerama at 4.4 million monthly rent. Show us if you can rent it out for 4.4 million a month — it will only be to Chinese with top knots.

¶ 04 Even if Mahinda Rajapaksa leaves that house tomorrow, there are people to give him houses. The same goes for Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. The Bandaranaikes gave 4,000 acres of their family lands to the country; they distributed family lands and gave them. Their names will not disappear if they leave those houses tomorrow. Even if Mahinda Rajapaksa leaves the house, there are people to give ten houses to Mahinda Rajapaksa. Remove Mahinda Rajapaksa’s security tomorrow — people from the South will come to see him. Crowds will come in droves, willingly, out of charity. The same is true for Mrs. Chandrika, Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, or any former national leader of this country.

¶ 05 [Expunged on the order of the Chair.]

¶ 06 Don’t behave like Tummulle Vimale. Don’t speak like Tummulle Vimale.

¶ 07 [Expunged on the order of the Chair.]

¶ 08 Behaving like that helps no one.

¶ 09 [Expunged on the order of the Chair.]

¶ 10 No one appointed you to undermine decency. Therefore, tell the President to do his duty. The Government said they will give us security. We don’t need security.

¶ 11 In six months, you will be the ones looking for security. You yourselves said we act like thugs. Where is that now? We can see how you behave now. Shameful.

¶ 12 [Expunged on the order of the Chair.]

¶ 13 It is shameful. Shameful for the Government.

¶ 14 [Expunged on the order of the Chair.]

¶ 15 These Ministers are shouting from the front row. Are they Ministers? Is this how the Minister of Justice behaves? Shameful.

¶ 16 [Expunged on the order of the Chair.]

¶ 17 Turn back and see what’s going on. Some faked professor titles. Here, a professor; then they went to the CID falsely. Why do Ministers go to the CID? A Minister should do a Minister’s job. I must say this now too: we never need security. In six months, you will need security. When the Tourism Minister of the Government went to the Badulla market last Sunday, what did he say? Ask the Tourism Minister what he told two mothers selling flowers at the Badulla market.

¶ 18 Clean Sri Lanka is good for the country. We don’t oppose that. Good things should happen; good things should be done. But taking money from Haniff Yousuf and using Galle Face, giving governorships to Haniff Yousuf to do these things — what is the need for the Clean Sri Lanka program then? Therefore, I am telling you these matters now. There is no point trying to play a game against Mr. Rajapaksa. If you want to play a game, do it with the younger ones. Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa is 80 now. Tell the President there is no point trying to take on Mahinda Rajapaksa and push him out. There is no point taking on Chandrika either. There are leaders in the front line today — I will not name them. Play the game with them; journey with them. Don’t just grab old men at this age, Mr. President,—