Responding to the Joint Opposition (JO) call to provide adequate security for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assured Parliament that protecting former President Rajapaksa would be advantageous to the Government, so that it would not let him come in harm’s way.
The Premier said protecting former President Rajapaksa is in their interest and they will not let anything happen to him. The Premier explained with details, how both former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga have been provided adequate security contingents on the basis of a threat assessment.
JO Leader Dinesh Gunawardena who raised a question called upon the Government to provide ample security to former President Rajapaksa who would attend election rallies in the run-up to the Local Government polls.
More security personnel
He attempted to convince the House that the number of personnel attached to the former President’s security contingent was not sufficient. The MP said he would like to know from the Government and the Prime Minister whether they can provide enough vehicles, personnel and facilities needed for the former President.
The Premier who gave full details on the security contingent of former President Rajapaksa said former President Kumaratunga has been given only 61 security personnel and added that the highest number of security has been assigned to former President Rajapaksa in view of threats.
However, the Premier informed MP Gunawardena that former President Rajapaksa has not yet made any requests to the Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development seeking more security personnel for his protection, but if there is a request to increase his security contingent, it can be considered. “Protecting Mahinda Rajapaksa is in our interest. We need him. We will not let anything happen to him,” the Prime Minister said.
Liquor and tobacco
President Maithripala Sirisena who participated in the Third Reading stage of the Budget debate under the expenditure heads of the Health Ministry expressed his displeasure over the proposal of increasing Government revenue by increasing liquor and tobacco sales.
The President drew the attention of the House to the fact that Sri Lanka has received several awards from the World Health Organisation and other global bodies due to the successful National Drug Prevention Program.
He pointed out that as a result of this program, we have been able to reduce the number of smokers. The President in his speech said, he cannot agree on reducing alcohol prices.
Heated exchange of words ensued between Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha and JVP Parliamentarian Vijitha Herath during the Third Reading debate on the Budget.
MP Herath said, Minister Musthapha’s promises shouldn’t be taken seriously. He said the Minister gave several promises to hold the LG elections during the last two years.
The Minister who countered the allegation levelled by MP Herath said he did everything to protect parties like the JVP through the Local Government Act and that is why the JVP party leader thanked him.The MP raised concerns about people in Sainthamaradu demanding a separate Pradeshiya Sabha for their area and added that at present Sainthamaradu is part of Kalmunai Municipal Council.
Herath said the Sainthamaradu Pradeshiya Sabha issue was created by this Government and that Minister Musthapha gave a promise to those people that he would establish a separate Pradeshiya Sabha for them on October 21, 2016.
The MP said the Prime Minister and Ministers Rauff Hakeem and Rishad Bathiudeen also gave the same promise.
However, the Minister now keeps saying he cannot deliver the promise, so that he should take the responsibility for creating a new problem which was not there in the first place.
Tropical storm
The JO found fault with the Government for ignoring forecasts pertaining to the tropical storm on November 29 placing the country and its people at the mercy of the weather gods.
MP Dinesh Gunawardena making a special statement said, the foreign media had reported the warnings of the storm three days before the disaster, but the Government had not taken them seriously.
MP Gunawardena attempted to portray that the Meteorological Department has failed to adequately warn the general public on the impending disaster. He queried as to why the Government doesn’t resolve the main problems which have crippled the work in this institution.
Win against nature
Responding to MP Gunawardena, Leader of the House and Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella said, mankind could never win against nature and its disasters.
Citing an example, Minister Kiriella said not even the US Meteorological Department could issue a warning in time when disaster struck Los Angeles recently.
The Minister said he accepts the fact that the Meteorological Department needs modernization and added that an automatic rain gauge network will soon be installed to develop the weather forecasting system. Minister Kiriella, reading out a reply on behalf of the Prime Minister said, the Meteorological Department had issued warnings to fisheries and naval communities and that it helped to save many lives and equipment of the fishing community.
The issue of reconciliation turned into a hot topic when some Government and Opposition lawmakers aired their views on a Select Committee report.
First, an argument ensued between Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development Minister Palany Thigambaram and UPFA Kandy District MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage when the Minister responded in Sinhala to a query raised by MP Aluthgamage. The Minister told the MP that the incumbent Government has served the hill country Tamil people more than any other previous Governments and added that the Government has given deeds to the people who never had a plot of land, before. MP Aluthgamage in his response said, the Government has failed to fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil people in the upcountry.
Reconciliation
The MP said, the Tamil people also voted for this Government with high hopes, but the former Government had done a lot for them when we were in power.
JVP Parliamentarian Bimal Ratnayake who also expressed his views said the Ministers dealing with reconciliation and national integration should resign from their portfolios as they were not able to utilize the funds allocated through the last year’s budget for reconciliation.
MP Ratnayake pointed out that the Resettlement Ministry had spent only 44 percent of its allocations as at September 30, 2017 while the National Integration Ministry had not utilized 91 percent of the allocation it received.
If the funds were allocated to bring solutions for the burning issues of the people, these Ministries had failed to fulfil the tasks assigned to them. He alleged, even though the Ministers fail to fulfil people’s needs, they enjoy all the perks and privileges.