The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and several Opposition MPs attempted to say that the appointment of the preliminary investigating officer was improper and that he lacked qualifications.

¶ 02 As is usual in inquiries regarding public officers, the Ministry of Public Administration maintains a roster. Selections are made from that. The person selected as Preliminary Investigating Officer here, Mr. S. K. Liyanage, has served as an Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government. He is someone who has conducted inquiries in many institutions and is on that roster. He was appointed for this preliminary inquiry on 20 August 2025—five months before this matter arose. As I said earlier, the appointment was made by the Staff Advisory Committee, which also includes the representative of the Leader of the Opposition. If there was any issue, why was nothing said for five months, either at the Staff Advisory Committee or in Parliament? After he conducted the inquiry and submitted the report, and after the Staff Advisory Committee took a decision based on that report, it is meaningless to now question his appointment. If one thinks injustice has occurred, there will be an opportunity for the officer concerned to respond during the proper disciplinary process.

¶ 03 As I know, the officer was given several opportunities to respond. There is no need to drag in all sorts of unrelated matters—who appointed, who marked, what happened in the past. The procedure is clear and correct. This is the Parliamentary process. If anyone challenges it, please point out any procedural fault. This is not that the Opposition merely attended the Committee; the appointment, process, and decision were by the Staff Advisory Committee of which the Leader of the Opposition is a permanent member. Therefore, do not say now that the appointment was wrong.

¶ 04 Also, the inquiry is not about allegations by or against the Speaker. It is about the selection of the Deputy Secretary-General as Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary-General, his qualifications, and the regularization of his appointment. The report concerns whether his appointment was proper. If you want to challenge anything, challenge the legality of the appointment and the correctness of the stated qualifications—not anything else.