The Hon. Eranga Gunasekara - Deputy Minister of Urban Development

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today is a historic day in our Parliament. About four years ago, a people’s uprising took place. One of its primary aspirations was to build a truly democratic political culture. The process we are advancing today—repealing parliamentary pensions—is grounded in that aspiration and in our commitment as a democratic Government to implement our policies.

¶ 02 Regarding the Aragalaya, thousands of youths across the country were charged and cases have dragged on for four years. Some cannot travel abroad; others must regularly report to the police. With our assumption of office, while we will not interfere improperly with judicial processes, we have stood for justice and fairness for all who participated peacefully in the people’s movement. Many of us, including myself, Minister Wasantha, and others, also face cases related to the Aragalaya—these are not corruption cases but cases tied to participation in protests. We will not tolerate violence, assault, arson or loss of life. Yet, we recognize that May 9 was a day of a peaceful protest that was attacked by organized groups. Those responsible should be brought before the law. We trust the courts to assess evidence fairly. We reaffirm: those who engaged peacefully should receive justice, while those who committed crimes must face the law. This year must be a year of justice—both delivering justice to the innocent and punishing offenders. Thank you.