The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law - Minister of Justice and National Integration

¶ 01 Thank you for the opportunity. This is a vital and sensitive debate about a national tragedy. Listening to some in the Opposition, from their body language and tone, one would think the Easter attacks happened under an NPP Government or due to Anura Dissanayake. That is not the case. Members who were Cabinet Ministers of the Yahapalana Government at the time are in this House.

¶ 02 I acknowledge that the Hon. Leader of the Opposition provided a useful set of suggestions and asked us to follow them. But would it not have been easier if they had implemented those during their own Government, under which the attacks took place?

¶ 03 Even with only eight minutes, I will clarify key points. On Easter morning 21 April 2019, hundreds died and were injured; children lost parents and parents lost children. St. Sebastian’s, St. Anthony’s, Zion Church, the Shangri-La, Kingsbury—

¶ 04 [Interruption by Hon. Rauff Hakeem]

¶ 05 Hon. Deputy Speaker: Let him continue uninterrupted, please.

¶ 06 I will proceed. We must recognize who the victims are: the congregants and their children; and also the Muslim community in this country, who became victims due to the racist current unleashed by then politics. Many feared to even appear in religious dress. We saw fear in our Muslim friends’ faces — they too became victims.

¶ 07 In 2019, the NPP, with Anura Dissanayake, toured town to town, opposing Muslim extremism while urging protection for ordinary Muslims from harassment. Two Muslim Cabinet Ministers were in the Yahapalana Cabinet then; what did they do — did they resign or speak up to stop injustices?

¶ 08 Coming to the Motion: Point 5 proposes a special prosecutor’s office with international assistance to conduct investigations independently. Even the Hon. Leader of the Opposition made a similar proposal today. Why ask for special commissions and special investigations? Without the political will to catch the culprits, no commission works. Under the NPP Government, it will work. We will catch the culprits, bring closure and justice, as Hon. Minister Ananda Wijepala explained.

¶ 09 Legally, the proposal for a special prosecutor’s office to investigate independently has obstacles in our adversarial system. In inquisitorial systems, the investigator prosecutes; here, prosecution and investigation are distinct. Therefore, as framed in the Motion, it is flawed.

¶ 10 However, to address perceived conflicts concerning the Attorney-General’s Department — an adviser to Government — we are proceeding to establish an independent Prosecutor’s Office. A Cabinet-appointed committee has begun work as per our policy statement. This is not because we distrust the Attorney-General but to avoid perceived conflicts and ensure independent prosecutions. International assistance can be sought where appropriate, but our CID can investigate; we do not need foreign judges. Our courts can hear these matters. We will not allow Easter to become a political “bite.” We will prosecute through the courts.

¶ 11 We need peace and closure. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). If racist or religious-hate politics persist, we will never have peace. Thank you.