The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I thank you for the time allocated.

¶ 02 This is, without doubt, a historic and very important debate. Earlier, Hon. Minister Ananda Wijepala set out, one by one, the entire—indeed the dark—record of Deshbandu Tennakoon, explaining why such a person should not be the Inspector-General of Police of this country.

¶ 03 Hon. Deputy Speaker, what is most important for a country is the rule of law. In its absence, people go wild—often without even realizing it. Look at 2022, during the Aragalaya. Yes, there were power cuts and shortages of gas and fuel. All that is true. But what people felt most was a deep sense of injustice being caused to them. When there is no rule of law in a country, people constantly feel that pain. That was the message of the Aragalaya. We, as the National People’s Power, read that message correctly and brought in a condition where everyone must be subject to the rule of law. Now it has been almost nine months since our Government and Cabinet assumed office.

¶ 04 To date, no Minister or MP has been accused by the public of being above the law. Why? We set an example by subjecting ourselves to the law. Everyone must be under the law.

¶ 05 Hon. Deputy Speaker, though we strive to bring this new political culture, the shattered, fragmented Opposition does not seem willing to accept that good message and culture. They come here uttering falsehoods and baseless claims to delude themselves. What is the rule of law? Is it abducting people in white vans? Or sending thugs to intimidate? When it came to impeaching a recent IGP, we followed the rule of law and the Constitution. Some even told us, “You have a two-thirds; why waste time—just finish it.” That approach is wrong.

¶ 06 Those with power used to do that. We have seen how even Chief Justices were treated in this very place. Sir, it is not our weakness that we follow the law; it is our strength—our patience and our obedience to the rule of law. Proceeding on that path, we are here today lawfully under the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act, No. 5 of 2002, and the constitutional provisions. Yet the Opposition claims we are not enforcing the law—some broken shards yelling as if to die trying.