The Hon. Presiding Member

¶ 01 Hon. Member, especially as a Catholic, I see that attack as one intended to create an ethnic issue. But I must say on behalf of the Catholic people that our religious leader, His Eminence the Cardinal, managed the situation very well after the attack. I know that immediately after the attack, he humbly went to every church, met every Catholic there, and calmed the people so that no problems would arise. In fact, I too went to Katuwapitiya the day after the attack, and the Cardinal was already there. On that occasion he said that, because of this attack, we must not create divisions among communities but foster harmony; justice must be done for the victims; those who perpetrated the attack must be found and brought to justice.

¶ 02 About 300 people of various communities died in that attack. As I recall, citizens of 12 countries were among the dead. I believe this is the 13th time this Parliament is discussing the attack. The significance is that this is the time the Government has taken a very good decision on it. We also question why, at moments like this, the attack becomes a topic of debate. The Government is proceeding to inquire and act based on evidence. There is a reason: when this Government was elected, a core policy was to find the perpetrators of the Easter attack and punish them according to law. Because of that, the people placed great trust in this Government. This is an opportunity to honour that trust. Now, while taking evidence and making arrests, we are proceeding. With the arrest of Suresh Sally as well, some minor issues arose. Is that not so? The reason for such issues is the vacuum in the chain of command related to the attack.

¶ 03 Following that arrest, Hon. Udaya Gammanpila published a book. With that publication, a series of small new matters started to emerge; even from his own mouth, certain things were stated. In truth, without undue delay, we are acting to ensure justice for all victims and to impose appropriate punishment on those responsible.

¶ 04 Until now, the Opposition tossed the Easter attack back and forth like a ball. But after we assumed office, we took necessary steps to swiftly punish those who carried out the attack. We all know the Easter attack was used as a political game. Many know that more information will come out soon. That is why everyone is bringing these things out now. In fact, though this may not have been the most fitting topic at this time, we also question why the Leader of the Opposition dragged it into debate now. Whenever masterminds are about to be exposed, such things tend to occur. We say firm action on the attack must be taken swiftly.

¶ 05 I remember, a week after the Easter attack, our Hon. Anura Kumara called us for a small discussion. There, he said, “Whatever happens, we must move to where all communities can come together. There is no racism in our party. Only if we unite every community can we develop this country. We may not hold power now, but we must stand upright for a just country free of racism where people can live independently.”

¶ 06 Finally, I state that before long after Anura Kumara Dissanayake came to power, these issues have been addressed and proper leadership has been given to the country. Now we can arrest the perpetrators and steer this matter in the right direction, ensure justice for victims, and punish the wrongdoers, rebuilding the country accordingly. I conclude.

¶ 07 Thank you very much.

¶ 08 Question put, and agreed to.