Hon. Chandima Weerakkody

¶ 01 After that, another person got agitated and waved a report, shouting “thefts, thefts at Customs.” Let us be clear. Who appointed this committee? Was it appointed by the Leader of the Opposition? No, it was appointed by His Excellency the President. What was the President’s intention? It is very clear: to investigate whether wrongdoing occurred and, if none, to confirm propriety and integrity; and if there were errors, to correct them. This report was prepared at the President’s request, based on his desire for such an inquiry. Therefore, before the President takes action, there is no point rushing in here, waving papers for TV cameras. Haste will not help. We must also note that this report is not like the Central Bank bond affair’s “footnotes” to save those responsible. The whole country knows who those people were. This is not like that. So we must be patient. Then it will work properly.

¶ 02 Hon. Deputy Speaker, the time of going along with thieves and their methods is over. The time when thieves roamed free is over. Now, policy and plans must be explained to the people, and we must move forward with them. Therefore, the “where are we going, what’s in the bag?” style of politics—the cheap “yakko mal pol” politics of this Opposition—is over. We are striving to build good governance and a more democratic state. Let us carry it forward successfully. That is the most important decision we must take for the country now.

¶ 03 Thank you.