The Hon. Darmapriya Wijesinghe

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, during this debate on extending the emergency, I wish to address some points raised by the Opposition. Hon. Mujibur Rahuman leveled several accusations, including that the Easter investigations are being conducted by officers appointed during their time. Some inquiries they did not allow then, this Government is conducting—even with those officers.

¶ 02 He also implied we did not condemn the killing of Iran’s spiritual leader or take any action regarding the US–Israel–Iran conflict. In my view, we did what you did not expect us to do. Listening to your speech yesterday, Hon. Member, I wondered whether you are a Sri Lankan citizen and whom you represent—another country? Yes, not America, but a certain other country—I believe you know it. If you are standing for Iran, that’s fine. But we are not standing for Iran or for America. Before taking office, we stated we follow a non-aligned path. Our foreign policy is based on that. In this time of heavy global conflict, we stand for no one and fear no one. The President said this clearly yesterday. In any activity in the Indian Ocean, we will independently undertake humanitarian operations without seeking anyone’s permission. Whether Iran, America or any other country—if anyone in our Indian Ocean region faces danger and needs humanitarian assistance, we will stand for them. Do not make baseless accusations.

¶ 03 Secondly, regarding Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara—if he were here, I would give way. It seems this is his first time truly present in Parliament, because he claimed regulations were not tabled when the emergency was approved. I challenge him: comb Hansard and show a day when regulations were tabled at approval. As a lawyer, he should at least study before speaking. Ask experienced Members like Gayanta Karunathilaka or the Secretary-General—they will confirm that in our history, such Regulations are not tabled here at that point. Do not speak without knowing.

¶ 04 Hon. Mujibur Rahuman, you quoted the President saying Iran requested on the 26th and the attack was on the 4th. Understand: for any country, a mere request to enter does not mean automatic entry. International law governs admission. Any party seeking to enter must comply with those legal processes. So do not talk without knowing. Another Hon. Member said there were 300 children on the ship. Did that ship come to Sri Lanka? I will not name him. Do not parrot sensational figures from gutter papers and TV. We know more than you think. Not only Iran—other countries also asked to come; we did not allow them. We have processes to decide. We conducted a humanitarian operation, which is greater than what you allege we failed to do. If you were in power, you wouldn’t even have known what to do—you’d still be under your beds. Stop accusing the Government without facts—the Opposition is now reduced to flailing.

¶ 05 As a Government, we know how to deal with the world, safeguard the Indian Ocean region, and ensure national and public security—working sensibly and sensitively. We believe we are taking the country to a better place; the Opposition, unable to bear it, is in disarray.