The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe - Deputy Minister of Labour

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, today is indeed a historic day. The previous Hon. Member asked in what way it is historic. It is historic because of this 206-page report. It has set this country’s political journey on a new path. The police were politicized throughout history, and this report documents, page by page, how that happened.

¶ 02 This sends a new message not only to the Police but to the entire public service about the fate that follows unlawful orders. Some try to talk big today dressed in white, but it is precisely their orders that led to this fate for officers like Deshabandu. The consequences of what you did in the past are being borne today by police officers. That is why this is historic.

¶ 03 The report contains testimonies of innocent police officers. On page 28, there is the evidence of Police Constable-driver Dulip Gihan. He says: “I am a father of three. Madam, had I known it would come to this, I had another livelihood—I could have done farming.” That reflects the conscience of conscientious police officers. A military officer testifies that had he known they were police officers, he would not have fired at the van from Colombo. The report sets out very clearly the legality and illegality of actions taken.

¶ 04 Hon. Speaker, it is also stated that out of 184 police stations, except for two, OICs were appointed on the whims of local politicians. Those like Namal Rajapaksa who did that now run around here opposing this debate. Before this debate began, they tried to stop it—raising legal arguments, points of order—because today their own misdeeds in directing police to act unlawfully would be exposed as the courts proceed. Learned lawyers on that side said this process is lawful. Our Government has proceeded step by step under the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act, No. 5 of 2002. Therefore, there is nothing unlawful here. Yet we have seen how some even broke parliamentary traditions to remove Shirani Bandaranayake.