The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, Opposition Members today spoke at length about the Clean Sri Lanka programme. Despite our Government MPs clarifying repeatedly, some continued to make criticisms without appreciating the context in which we took over this country.

¶ 02 When we assumed office, on one side the economy was bankrupt, and on the other there was moral, environmental and social decay: people’s health was endangered through substandard medicines, education was disrupted to the point of children leaving school, and some even took their own lives due to economic collapse. The country had become a haven for criminals, with crimes buried under the sands of time re-emerging. We took over amidst such conditions. Many here speak without any sense of that backdrop. Therefore, we must first state clearly the condition of the country we inherited and how we are methodically restoring it.

¶ 03 Clean Sri Lanka is a flagship programme of our Government. Some trivialized it as mere environment cleaning, tank cleaning, or police road safety measures. In truth, our Members explained that beyond economic and physical development, this is an integrated effort—social, ethical, and environmental—to establish a Sri Lankan social standard, a new national brand. All ministries, agencies, community organizations, the private sector, businesses, professionals, national and international organizations, NGOs and the public are stakeholders. It is a broad transformative process for a prosperous country and better lives.

¶ 04 Some tried to belittle it with minor points. But this is a comprehensive social process. The President launched it with a plan, vision and roadmap—so no one can say it lacks a plan or vision. Misunderstandings arise from not studying it.

¶ 05 Many points have been raised in this debate for my Ministry: bribery, corruption, fraud, murders, thefts, organized crime. I am pleased to inform that the Police have intervened with some success. We have de-politicized the Police and set them on capability, diligence, intervention and rule-of-law-based decision-making. Over the past two months, this framework has delivered notable results.

¶ 06 Some Members, notably Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, suggested that removing unnecessary parts from vehicles can be halted for a fee. Neither the Police nor any State institution nor this Government executes Clean Sri Lanka without the consent of the people. All Government activity proceeds with public consensus and participation. Clean Sri Lanka is not a set of isolated activities, but a new social, economic and political transformation under the NPP’s main programme, with a plan, vision and roadmap.

¶ 07 I also emphasize that due to Police measures in recent days, road accidents have decreased. On some days, 6–9 people died from road accidents, totaling about 2,500 annually, with many left disabled. About 75% of ICU beds in the National Hospital are occupied by accident victims. We must reduce accidents. Recent actions have brought daily fatalities down to 3–4. An ICU bed costs about Rs. 100,000 a day. About 70% of accident victims become disabled. Our aim is to protect passengers, pedestrians and drivers alike.

¶ 08 This programme has been operational only about 20 days. People and institutions have begun to contribute as they understand it. Some in the Opposition seize on isolated acts and try to mislead society about Clean Sri Lanka.

¶ 09 Several spoke about crimes in the past two months. We must look carefully at who is involved. The Armed Forces and Police render great service—yet we have found that one or two Army personnel were involved in some incidents: an Army Major and six other Army personnel have been arrested, as well as a Police officer and a Civil Security Department officer. In relation to organized criminal activity, 155 and several others aiding them have been arrested. This shows how some were attempting to turn the country into a land of crime.

¶ 10 Since assuming office, in the past days we have seized 7 T-56 rifles, 10 pistols, 14 revolvers, 461 shotguns used for tranquilizers/medicine guns, 58 12-bore shotguns, 13 galkatas, and 2 repeaters. On narcotics, in the last two to three months alone we seized 354 kg heroin, 3,847 kg Kerala ganja, 3.8 kg cocaine, 181.9 kg hashish, and 759 kg ice.

¶ 11 Hon. Presiding Member, I wish to underline a new commitment. As a Government, we pledge to conduct thorough investigations into crimes buried under the sands of time. The Police are prepared. It was mentioned there are 400–500 files. In fact, the CID has 29,000 files. Next week we will re-establish the Original Crime Investigation Unit and transfer from those 29,000 files the cases related to crimes to that Unit for investigation, and we will act in the interest of justice for the people.

¶ 12 We have planned and are intervening to curb drugs and organized crime, deploying special task forces. We will act in full understanding of the people’s mandate and expectations, and implement this programme for the well-being of our people. I conclude with that assurance. Thank you.