The Hon. Muneer Mulaffer - Deputy Minister of National Integration

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, we all know LTTE terrorism ended in 2009. Due to the 30-year war, the hearts of all communities were wounded. After winning the war, the responsibility of the Government was to present programmes to heal those wounds and to build peace so the country would not be thrust back into war. The governments of that time had that responsibility. However, after 2009, the Government that came continued to destroy the fraternity, friendship and togetherness among communities, creating suspicion among each other. Some who loudly shouted here today held Cabinet portfolios in those governments that sowed this poison and enjoyed many privileges. Those same Ministers now speak loudly.

¶ 02 We all know about the Digana incidents. When those attacks occurred, these so-called national leaders were Cabinet Ministers then. It is useful to recall how they acted then. As the Leader of the House said, by 2015 when power slipped from the Rajapaksa camp, they continued to maintain the nationalist atmosphere they had ignited in Digana. Among the Cabinet then were four of those so-called national leaders. Particularly in Ampara, Digana and even Gintota, nationalism had a strong impact. If we say all those who planned and executed the Easter attack must be punished, we must also take action against certain media channels that routinely supported and nourished communal hatred. You know how myths like “infertility pills,” “underwear with sterilisation,” and “mass sterilisation” had been popularised. But after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became President post-Easter attack, none of that existed.

¶ 03 Even among those who ate from the same plate, suspicion arose after Easter. This morning, some recalled that four Cabinet Ministers representing the Muslim community resigned. The people know very well the reasons behind those resignations and the background. Likewise, though the Easter attack took place, the broader Muslim society in this country never had a motive to bomb and kill people. We were all distressed and asked why this happened.

¶ 04 I especially thank His Eminence Malcolm Ranjith, the Cardinal. He understood the situation then and intervened wisely, averting an even greater tragedy. However, though leadership intervened, we all know some, for political gain, set Minuwangoda on fire; likewise parts of the country including Kuliyapitiya were set ablaze. We know how the media behaved then. In my own Tihariya area, when something was found in a house near the Kandy Road, the main church in Tihariya was included in media coverage to sensationalise. Therefore, while seeking the conspirators of the Easter attack, we must ensure such things never happen again. We must also act with attention towards media institutions that provide space for such acts.

¶ 05 Thank you, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees.