The Hon. Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law - Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Regulations published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2428/43 under the Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023. This is a decisive moment. Though anti-corruption laws existed, they were unevenly applied; now, with ministerial guidelines aligned, anyone caught in this net will be stopped—100 percent.

¶ 02 Let me recall a lesson from Lee Kuan Yew’s era: when a minister implicated in corruption died under suspicious circumstances, the request to avoid a post-mortem was refused—because transparency and accountability required the truth. Likewise today, the Opposition’s agitation betrays fear of what is unfolding.

¶ 03 Vile smear campaigns have been launched against our Leader of the House, Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, and Health Minister Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa precisely because it is clear they, together with the President, are successfully leading our 159 group. Panic-mongering will not deter us.

¶ 04 Note how some in the Opposition retract within a day: the allegation about a North Western Province vehicle auction was withdrawn; the story about 323 containers tied to Hon. Bimal Rathnayake has now resulted in a complaint to the CID and a facts report to court. Let Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara prove it in the proper forum. We will not allow lies to spread unchecked.

¶ 05 We also hear claims of “under-the-table deals.” We know the real “white-collar” thefts: hiding assets, manipulating state funds, and laundering through “respectable” channels. This Government’s framework—these Regulations—targets exactly that. No one is above the law.