The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, during this debate on removing Deshbandu Tennakoon from the post of IGP, our clear position is that we support this motion. In discussing this, we must examine both the present and the past. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the Samagi Jana Sandhanaya consistently maintained that Deshbandu Tennakoon was unfit to be IGP—past and present. We neither remained silent nor equivocated.

¶ 02 When this appointment came before the Constitutional Council, both I and Hon. Kabir Hashim opposed it and voted against it.

¶ 03 Let us look at the National People’s Power (NPP) position at that time—around February 2024. They had no position. They maintained a silent policy and offered no views, watching as events unfolded. What happened at the Constitutional Council then? The Council openly violated the supreme law—the Constitution. I now table the Speaker Yapa Abeywardena’s letter dated 26.02.2024 to the then President regarding the IGP appointment process.

¶ 04 What happened? Four voted in favour of appointing Deshbandu. I and Kabir Hashim opposed. Two others abstained. The Speaker ruled that if the two abstentions were interpreted as “against,” he could use his casting vote. He then wrote to the President, and within days the appointment took place.

¶ 05 I ask: did the JVP/NPP speak against this at that time? Did they state their opposition in Parliament? When the Constitution and the supreme law were violated to appoint the IGP, why did the NPP maintain silence?

¶ 06 We did not stop there. We—SJB and SJS—went to court. Niroshan Padukka and Girunika Premachandra filed fundamental rights petitions, alongside many civil organizations. Why did the JVP/NPP not challenge this before the Supreme Court? Again, silence.

¶ 07 We took a firm, open stance—speaking and acting. We obtained an interim order. The very next day, the then Prime Minister came here and criticized the Supreme Court and the interim order. Did the JVP/NPP Members in this House speak against that? No. They maintained silence.

¶ 08 I therefore state clearly: when the present Government appointed a committee to investigate Deshbandu, we supported it and gave our assent. From the beginning we were firm and transparent. There was no duplicitous stance. Deshbandu’s appointment was illegal, contrary to statute and unconstitutional. The only reason we could intervene was because of the powers of the Constitutional Council—established to strengthen checks and balances across the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.

¶ 09 Now we hear the Government is preparing to reduce the powers of the Constitutional Council. If that happens, what is the difference between your Government and Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Government, which used a two-thirds to reduce the Council to a mere Parliamentary Council? We warn this Government not to weaken democracy and checks and balances. The appointment of Deshbandu was illegal and unconstitutional. At every juncture we opposed it openly and now we support this motion.