The Hon. Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, we speak today during the Adjournment Debate regarding ensuring justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday attack. In truth, considering the nature, manner and depth of the incident, it is one of the most barbaric attacks in Sri Lankan history—utterly inhuman. To deliver justice to the victims and to our society, despite pressures, our Government will necessarily intervene to fulfil what must be done. I present a few key points.

¶ 02 Firstly, we have bitter experiences with governance. I will not go into other political matters, but over the post-independence periods, a public perception has formed and become institutionalised about crimes and frauds: that governments do not deliver justice, that governments are linked to these matters, and if so the law will not be enforced; they use them for political gain. This is not mere rhetoric; it has socialised.

¶ 03 Therefore, doubts arise whether groups now in Opposition are attempting to sow a narrative that the NPP Government too will not act, that it too is connected, and that culprits will go unpunished—thus creating a wrong picture among the public. That doubt arises within this Motion.

¶ 04 We received a special mandate to build a “prosperous country—beautiful life.” A crucial task is rebuilding trust between the people and the Government. Thus, those who lost power are trying to undermine that trust. Because, looking at the nature of the incident, this was not simple. Seven or eight bombs exploded. It was not isolated; it was organised and networked. As the President said, we will not allow this to be buried in the sands of time.

¶ 05 Who did this? Debates, media and foreign reports often reduce it to a group, one or two individuals, thereby ignoring the complexity and composition. That is why international and domestic extremist organisations are dragged in broadly. From that, the real accountable criminals slip through as attention is fragmented.

¶ 06 Our effort is to capture the totality and facilitate the authorities. That is why it takes time. If it were a small incident, we could act swiftly, like allocating funds or building a road. But this is highly complex, and the principal suspects include those in previous administrations. We must understand this was by a group, organised and networked.

¶ 07 Next, what was the objective? Some push narratives of communalism and isolated aims. But we see beyond that—an aim targeting political power itself. To grasp this, I use the term “fear politics.” It refers to the strategic use of fear by political actors to control, manipulate or mobilize people by portraying certain groups, events or outcomes. Here, certain groups—religious, ethnic—were portrayed; events within society, like incidents of idol-smashing, were amplified; outcomes—like power acquisition—were pursued.

¶ 08 If you search the web for examples of fear politics, Sri Lanka appears. There is a notable feature here: the rhetoric of nationalism, religion, “nation in danger,” “security of the country” was heavily used as decorative rhetoric. This needs deep study.

¶ 09 The consequences have spread everywhere. Economically, the damage is vast—tourism collapse, job losses, foreign exchange dwindling, GDP falling. In Q2 of 2019, GDP fell, and by year-end growth turned negative—before COVID-19. We can recover economically. But the irreparable impact is on victims—loss of life, broken families, social suspicion, democratic erosion, and international censure.

¶ 10 I state: as the NPP Government, we will in no way hinder the required actions regarding the Easter attack. We give the Government maximum support to conduct these investigations successfully. Because many investigations revealed issues suggesting visible and invisible persons in the network—including a former President’s Secretary having been arrested. If the Opposition genuinely wants progress, give your cooperation to the agencies and teams; do not jump in midstream to leak information and protect real killers. This was a crime against humanity; we will act to ensure proper punishment.

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