Topic
Corruption & Governance Reform
2,708 speeches · 349 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, M.P. JJB | 91 |
| 2 | Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 86 |
| 3 | Hon. Mujibur Rahman, M.P. SJB | 80 |
| 4 | Hon. Ajith P. Perera, M.P. SJB | 70 |
| 5 | Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri, M.P. SJB | 68 |
| 6 | Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, M.P. JJB | 68 |
| 7 | Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna, M.P. Independent Group 17 - Jaffna | 67 |
| 8 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 65 |
| 9 | Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, M.P. NDF | 64 |
| 10 | Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, M.P. JJB | 64 |
Speeches
2,708 on this topic- 8 May 2025 The Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna SJB AI summary Harshana Rajakaruna criticized the Government for failing to fulfil campaign promises, including reducing vehicle prices and revealing those responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks. He cited local election results to argue that the Government had lost public support, contrasting its vote decline with gains by the SJB, particularly in Gampaha. He also called for transparency over who paid for the President’s private jet travel after the Vietnam visit and questioned whether the Government would apply the same standard it had used in 2018 when it demanded dissolution after local election losses. Debate: Customs Ordinance - Resolution on Import Duties on Motor Vehicles Read →
- 8 May 2025 The Hon. Riyas Farook JJB AI summary Hon. Riyas Farook argued that past governments created uncertainty in vehicle imports through abrupt bans and duty increases, leaving vehicles stranded at ports and damaging Sri Lanka’s credibility with foreign banks and exporters. He said the Government is reopening imports in a methodical and predictable manner to rebuild trust, while accusing previous administrations of corruption and manipulation in matters such as tax changes and vehicle age limits. He requested cooperation for the new import duty process. Debate: Customs Ordinance - Resolution on Import Duties on Motor Vehicles Read →
- 8 May 2025 The Hon. S.M. Marikkar SJB AI summary Hon. S.M. Marikkar argued that recent election results show a significant decline in support for the NPP and rejected claims that the Opposition had nothing to celebrate, citing seat and vote figures for the SJB, Opposition, and Government. He said the Opposition would support the Government on national economic issues such as US tax exposure, EU GSP+, growth, revenue, and investment, but urged the Government to stop misleading the public. He alleged attempts to buy local councillors in Colombo and Hambantota and questioned the source of funds, while also calling on the Government to table agreements with India and govern transparently now that no national election is imminent. Debate: Customs Ordinance - Resolution on Import Duties on Motor Vehicles Read →
- 8 May 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Harshana Suriyapperuma - Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning AI summary The Deputy Minister said the vehicle import ban was being lifted in phases, with Customs Import Duty raised from 20 per cent to 30 per cent to manage pressure on reserves and the exchange rate after years of restricted imports. He cited improving macroeconomic indicators, including reserves of about USD 6.5 billion, a stable rupee, controlled inflation, lower interest rates, stronger revenue, and progress under the IMF programme and World Bank support. He also noted reforms to improve tax and customs administration, disclosure of large tenders, and ongoing engagement with the United States on tariffs to protect Sri Lankan exporters during the consultation period. Debate: Customs Ordinance - Resolution on Import Duties on Motor Vehicles Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament JJB AI summary The Minister said the Government had allocated two days to debate the Batalanda Commission Report and framed the issue as part of a broader need for justice, reconciliation, and accountability for violence from 1971, 1987–90, and the Northern war. He criticized previous political leaderships for failing to properly conclude the Batalanda process, while stating that the current Government’s approach is reconciliation rather than revenge and that the JVP’s armed phase arose after prolonged repression and failed democratic avenues. He said the Government’s immediate priorities had been economic stabilization and restoring electoral democracy, with a later phase focused on coexistence, addressing disappearances, and healing wounds across communities. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law SJB AI summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara argued that the 1987–1990 violence must be examined in full, acknowledging killings by the JVP, the UNP-led state and other actors rather than presenting any side as heroic. He cited political repression, constitutional changes, Black July, university violence, election rigging, assassinations, robberies, destruction of public property and alleged atrocities as part of the escalation. He questioned the justification for armed struggle and damage to national assets, while urging Parliament to close the chapter and move forward without selectively relitigating the past. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development JJB AI summary Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe supported further action on the Batalanda Commission report, stating that the Batalanda Housing Scheme, originally intended for Fertilizer Corporation employees, had been converted into an illegal detention and torture centre during 1988-1989. He accused former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and associated police units of responsibility for abuses there and argued that the law must be applied against those involved. He said the Government would pursue proper inquiries into Batalanda and other alleged detention centres, while placing the issue in the wider context of past political violence in both the South and the North. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Gamagedara Dissanayake JJB AI summary Hon. Gamagedara Dissanayake argued that the Batalanda Commission Report clearly identifies responsibility for torture and killings, including the alleged role of Ranil Wickremesinghe and police officer Douglas Peiris, while accusing Opposition Members of avoiding the report’s substantive findings. He linked Batalanda to a wider network of alleged torture camps operated during the UNP period and called for Parliament to examine those sites and for those responsible for killings, disappearances, and mass graves such as Matale to be held accountable. He also criticized alleged political protection, irregular promotions, and the use of state and paramilitary structures in suppressing youth uprisings. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva JJB AI summary Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva linked the violence of 1988–89 to earlier political events, including the 1977 UNP mandate, the Jaffna Public Library burning, the 1982 referendum, Black July, and the proscription of the JVP. He argued that the suppression of open political activity led to underground resistance and cited the Batalanda Report and other alleged detention and torture sites as evidence of state-linked abuses against youth and left activists. He called for renewed parliamentary attention to these incidents, justice for victims, and punishment of those responsible regardless of status or family connections. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Mahinda Jayasinghe - Deputy Minister of Labour JJB AI summary Mahinda Jayasinghe argued that the Batalanda Commission Report showed serious unlawful actions and politicization of the Police under former UNP administrations, and criticized Opposition members for allegedly avoiding the Report’s findings while focusing on JVP violence. He cited specific references from the Report, including illegal promotions and disappearances, and stressed that any state response must comply with the rule of law. He said those responsible for Batalanda should be punished through empowered legal institutions, while the NPP Government would pursue reconciliation across political, ethnic, and regional divides rather than retaliation. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. D.V. Chanaka SLPP AI summary Hon. D.V. Chanaka criticized the Government’s decision to debate the 25-year-old Batalanda Commission Report, arguing that it had gained attention only after a recent Al Jazeera interview with Ranil Wickremesinghe and a demand from the Frontline Socialist Party. He accused the JVP of past violence, including destruction of infrastructure, attacks, killings and robberies, and rejected its justification that it took up arms after being banned by the J.R. Jayewardene Government. He argued that the JVP’s actions contributed significantly to Sri Lanka’s economic decline and said the country was rebuilt after 2009 despite later challenges such as COVID-19. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake accused the Government of selective law enforcement, arguing that public officers and lesser political figures were being targeted while senior political figures were not. He criticized the continued travel ban and lack of bail for the former Passport Office head, questioned the handling of Batalanda-related discussions, and alleged past abuses at the Beragala camp. He also claimed the Government had failed to deliver promised dry-ration assistance, neglected families of those killed during the 1988–89 violence, and mishandled economic issues affecting garment workers. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Ananda Wijepala - Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs JJB AI summary Minister Ananda Wijepala argued that the Batalanda Commission Report should be viewed within the broader context of state violence, disappearances, torture camps and mass graves during the J.R. Jayewardene and Premadasa era, rather than through isolated incidents. He cited other commission reports recording 16,263 complaints of killings, disappearances and abductions across provinces, the killing of 44 children under 14, and numerous alleged torture and burial sites linked to local political actors. He contended that the 1983 ban on the JVP and suppression of democracy contributed to the conflict, and stated that the Batalanda Report identifies Ranil Wickremesinghe as directly connected to that apparatus of oppression. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna SJB AI summary Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna accused the JVP of past anti-democratic violence, citing killings of clergy, politicians, public servants, security personnel and UNP supporters, as well as destruction of buses and depots during its opposition to the Provincial Council system. He said President J.R. Jayewardene had attempted to bring the JVP into democratic politics by releasing Rohana Wijeweera, and welcomed the party’s current participation in the democratic framework. He called for any inquiry into the Batalanda torture camp to be accompanied by a separate inquiry into the causes of the violence of that period, with redress for affected families, and defended Ranil Wickremesinghe against what he described as intimidation. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Nihal Galappaththi JJB AI summary Hon. Nihal Galappaththi criticized Ranil Wickremesinghe in relation to the Batalanda Commission Report, citing passages alleging unlawful meetings, torture, abductions, killings, and questions over Wickremesinghe’s role despite not holding a Defence portfolio. He referred in detail to the arrest, torture, and killing of human rights lawyer Vijaya D. Liyanarachchi and argued that such events must remain part of the historical record. He also linked these issues to the public mandate received by his party and rejected a claim by Hon. S.M. Marikkar that the JVP had not sought an inquiry into Rohana Wijeweera’s killing. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna argued that the 1985-1991 JVP insurrection was a national tragedy that successive governments failed to conclusively address, while later political cooperation with the JVP/NPP was pursued in the interest of moving the country forward. She referred to the Youth Unrest Commission, subsequent political alliances, and the Batalanda Commission, asserting that counter-insurgency measures were presented as necessary to maintain order during the period. She cited figures on killings and deaths, disputed higher casualty estimates, and stated that she would table lists of victims and attacks, including losses suffered by political parties and families not represented in Parliament. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Chrishantha Abeysena - Minister of Science and Technology JJB AI summary The Minister, speaking during debate on the Batalanda Commission Report, accused the UNP leadership of responsibility for anti-democratic actions, torture, disappearances and killings during 1977-1990, particularly under J.R. Jayewardene, R. Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe. He cited events including the 1980 general strike dismissals, burning of the Jaffna Library, the 1982 referendum, Black July, party bans, suppression of student unions, and alleged torture centres such as Batalanda. Referring to an Amnesty International report and the ICCPR right to life, he argued that JVP, SLFP, LSSP and even UNP members were detained, tortured, disappeared or killed, and linked these abuses to state security forces and associated groups operating at the time. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. Anuradha Jayaratne NDF AI summary Anuradha Jayaratne said the Batalanda Commission Report should be addressed through legal institutions if the objective is justice for victims, rather than used for political advantage decades later. He argued that any inquiry should also examine the broader governance failures, misuse of power and context of the 1987-1988 violence, and questioned the Government’s purpose in debating the report in Parliament instead of pursuing legal action. He also called on NPP and JVP MPs to state their positions on the events and warned against repeatedly reopening past conflicts for political mobilization. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna JJB AI summary Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna argued that the Batalanda Commission material and related records should be made public and used to pursue justice, not revenge, for abuses and killings during 1971 and 1988-89. He alleged that state-linked groups and political actors were responsible for torture centres, killings, and the Sapugaskanda Police Station attack, citing the report as contradicting Ranil Wickremesinghe’s claim that the JVP carried it out. He also criticized the use of presidential pardons and political power to protect criminals, referring to Gonawala Sunil and comparing such actions to later instances of abuse of power. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →
- 10 April 2025 The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure JJB AI summary K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna, speaking during the debate on the Batalanda Commission Report, characterized the abuses examined by the Commission as state terrorism involving torture, killings and death squad activity against youth and professionals. He linked the Batalanda site to the former urea factory and alleged responsibility of political leaders of the period, including Ranil Wickremesinghe, while naming several district-level figures he said were associated with similar camps and squads. He called for the truth recorded in the report to be translated into justice and for safeguards to prevent such structures from re-emerging. Debate: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Batalanda Torture Chambers Read →