The Hon. S.M. Marikkar

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, we cannot understand what the Government is saying now. You cannot provide security even to people’s representatives. With over a hundred shootings and dozens of deaths, you still make excuses. Yesterday it was the Weligama PS Chairman. The Minister’s statement is not personal—it is the Government’s position—calling a people’s representative an underworld criminal. If he was such and had cases, why was he not arrested during the past year? Do not weep here; you should have acted then.

¶ 02 Worse, within an hour you declared it an underworld clash, as if you knew in advance. After the local elections, those who promised “system change” traded principles, snatched Chairs by buying over members, and loudly vowed never to give councils to the NPP. The very man who helped install such a council has now been murdered. The Government must accept responsibility. One day when one of your own is assaulted in a village, perhaps you will understand. The Chairman was killed during his public day, while serving the people. If he had allegations against him, you should have arrested him—not justify murder after the fact.

¶ 03 You said the Rajapaksa era was a criminal state. Then investigate all those murders—Lasantha Wickrematunge, Eknaligoda, Tajudeen. But do not continue a criminal state now.