The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, all have joined and, at an auspicious “nakath,” the country has fallen into darkness. Though government members shed crocodile tears, the citizens and voters are intelligently questioning the dramas being staged. We know Hon. Dharmapriya Wijesinghe brought this adjournment motion out of goodwill, but the public must know the lies and cover-ups behind it.

¶ 02 This government sought a mandate to catch thieves and punish them—but society now rejects that claim. No matter how much you say you catch thieves, the majority at the government’s front row are seen by society as thieves—their looks, speech, and lifestyles prove it. Having failed to catch thieves, and themselves engaging in worse corruption than before, they have switched to new themes.

¶ 03 The Prime Minister herself earlier effectively cleared those involved in the Central Bank bond scam. Across several sessions, claims of those thefts and killings were disproved, we are told. This morning, a governing party MP demanded documents on past land grabs by former ministers; the State Minister replied there were no such documents. That MP then angrily asked when the thieves would be caught—perhaps he is from the NPP.

¶ 04 When they sought power, they rang the bell of righteousness—“Hakke Budu Ras – Bokke Dada Mas.” Now, having failed, what is hidden behind this motion? Next they will cry “Budu Saranai!” Because the reasons behind this government’s actions lie in the fact that from the outset of this drug trade to now, matters have been pushed beyond accountability.

¶ 05 Out of hundreds of containers, what was in the two that slipped through? Even when people were accused of being connected to ICE trafficking, how did those containers get released, and by whom? Is that not why the President removed that ministry from Minister Bimal Rathnayake? He does not even appear in Parliament now. We suspect that the seized drugs are being sent back to the same businessmen through ministerial power and backdoor deals. This has happened in history.

¶ 06 Some ministers in charge of security now live in apartment complexes worth about Rs. 500 million, saying “friends” gave them. Who are those friends? Are they the drug racket crowd? Because contraband is secretly released and under-the-table deals are done? The public wonders. Those who once walked and rode buses now live in Rs. 500 million apartments while holding positions responsible for law enforcement—suspicion is inevitable. What really happens is they show arrests on TV, use ministerial power, and send them back to the source. The people think the rulers are saving the country; they are not.

¶ 07 Having failed to catch thieves, they now use themes: catching drugs, catching underworld, to regain power slipping from their hands, to erase public disapproval. The government says there are gang rivalries. Then explain this: a JJB councillor for Katunayake–Seeduwa Municipal Council was shot; a Weligama-area MP’s house was shot at. If these are “underworld vs. underworld,” are that councillor and that MP connected to the underworld? You cannot say that. Yet yesterday, the Minister of Public Security shamelessly labeled a murdered person as underworld before any court had proven guilt. That is where the underworld begins—by such labeling from the minister himself.

¶ 08 The murdered person had siblings and children. When an innocent person is thus tarred by a minister abusing Parliament and his office, will those watching—children and siblings—not feel anger and pain? That is how cycles of underworld begin anew.

¶ 09 An MP produced evidence of an implicated minister in past killings. Should that minister not resign? Is he fit to be Minister of Public Security? He is not—the facts in this very debate prove it. Therefore, I say to the ministers of government, especially to the NPP group within government: if you have any shame, ask the Minister of Public Security to resign. He is unfit.

¶ 10 I will finish quickly. Government members always say their MPs and ministers are “Kadirgamar-like,” but I say you are “Ree-gamans.” The people know. They entrusted you with power believing in your learning and wisdom. But you have used it to run corruption, the underworld, drug trade, and live in apartments, enjoying luxuries, while the people suffer. The government has staged this problem to pretend they will end it; we ask them to stop the acting.

¶ 11 Thank you for the time, Hon. Presiding Member.