The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe - Deputy Minister of Labour

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I ask Hon. Namal Rajapaksa to remain in the chamber. We live in strange times. The government flushed out containers, and they were hidden on land belonging to a supporter of Namal Rajapaksa, a Pradeshiya Sabha member. I will address that separately.

¶ 02 Today we debate the Sri Lanka–UAE Agreement on Investment Promotion and Mutual Protection. Sri Lanka has signed 27 such agreements historically; this is among the most forward-looking. It addresses sustainable investments, environmental considerations in both countries, public safety, public morals, and de-risking. Previously, investors could do almost anything; here we define a better, safer operating environment.

¶ 03 If Hon. Namal were here, I would ask: why did Emirates leave in 2007? From 1998, when Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga granted management to Emirates, SriLankan Airlines made over Rs. 9.5 billion profit annually. In 2007, due to a personal issue, it was taken back under Mahinda Rajapaksa. Since then, SriLankan has lost over Rs. 400 billion. We remember how Mahinda, Basil, and Gotabaya used the airline. The people have not forgotten.

¶ 04 Therefore we needed an agreement like this with the UAE to restore investor confidence. Namal’s style is to throw allegations and leave before replies—like “the thief jumps over the fence before the bananas are counted.” None of our government spokespeople talked about “ice containers” or named individuals first; yet the Opposition now cries foul to pre-empt accountability.

¶ 05 In truth, the real organized criminals are not only the street-level names like Makandure Madush or Kehelbaddara Pathum. Today it is becoming clear to the nation that some among “you” are the true organized criminals behind the scenes. You hurriedly “suspended” party memberships, even issuing an undated letter, in panic after a key figure—Sampath Manamperi—went missing. Where was this urgency earlier? When Nimal Lanza was found linked to drugs, Mahinda Rajapaksa personally flew by helicopter to shield him; no party suspension then—later he even became a State Minister.

¶ 06 We also remember that when a large stock of drugs linked to an MP was found, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa intervened to release him. When the Coordinating Secretary to PM D. M. Jayaratne was caught with drugs at Orugodawatta, a written letter sought release, and we were told “don’t dramatize.” Now those same people perform theatrics by announcing suspensions when caught.

¶ 07 During your time, police checked schoolchildren’s bags outside schools while drug lords ran free. Today, our government is hunting the traffickers themselves. You created a society where children carried “ice” sachets; now you pretend innocence. Corruption does not “expire” after 15 years; we will not allow that. Our government will enforce the law against your decades-old frauds.

¶ 08 You claim Madush was brought from Dubai without fanfare; but we recall that on 19 October 2020, at Maligawatta, while being taken to “show the drugs,” he was shot dead by an unidentified gunman, burying his secrets. We ask: why?