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Doublespeak the order of the day as allegations boomerang
The ‘No-Confidence’ Motion (NCM) against Prime Minister (PM) Ranil Wickremesinghe was taken up for debate in Parliament on Wednesday, April 4. During the 12-hour-long debate, MPs expressed their views, for and against the NCM.
The NCM signed by 55 UPFA MPs, was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on March 21. Most of the charges against the PM relate to the Central Bank (CB) Bond issue. The NCM was defeated with 122 voting against it and 76 in favour, while 26 MPs were absent. This is the third occasion in the history of Sri Lanka’s Parliament, a Vote of ‘No-Confidence’ was brought against a PM, and debated. The previous instances in 1957 and 1975 too were unsuccessful.
Following are excerpts of the views expressed at Wednesday’s debate.
UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena:
Having come to power on Jan.8, 2015, the ‘Yahapalanaya Government promised to fight corruption but immediately commenced a path that led to this massive fraud. There is only one CB in the country and its Governor has the power to influence the country’s economy. The CB, which is traditionally under the Finance Ministry, was taken away from the Finance Ministry and put under the PM, and Mahendran appointed its Governor, knowing he would not comply with the country’s accepted financial norms. The PM recommended the appointment of Mahendran and took on the responsibility which he accepted in Parliament. This led to a serious conflict of interest, as he was tied to one of the primary dealers of Treasury Bonds Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. (PTL). This led to the massive fraud that took place with the CB Governor aiding and abetting. The PM cannot escape responsibility from this.
Leader of the Opposition and TNA Parliamentary Group Leader MP Rajavarothiam Sampanthan:
“We are debating a Motion of No-Confidence against no less a person than the PM, and the Motion substantially deals with the question of corruption. Corruption has been the worst disease that has afflicted our country. There was a time when there was no complaint of corruption. But, in recent years, corruption has been the worst disease. The roots of corruption must be eradicated, and I think there is a general agreement that politicians, probably, constitute the roots of corruption. I think that needs to be addressed and eradicated.
With regard to the CB Bond scam, consequent to investigations, two persons are presently in custody. There has been a warrant issued against another person and investigations are proceeding. No one should be spared.
The question must be raised as to why the wording is so vague, lacking in any specific charge against the PM, with regard to the fraud pertaining to the Bond scam per se. Why should this NCM be brought now, at this point of time, is another question that I would like to pose to the House. I want to pose the question whether this NCM against the PM is the first step in a plan to bring down totally and completely, the present Government. President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe were elected on a certain mandate. What was that mandate? Firstly, the resolution of the national question which has plagued this country for the past 70 years. A part of the mandate granted was to uphold democracy in this country and avert this country from moving towards totalitarianism and dictatorship. The President and the PM were elected on the democratic verdict of the people, for certain fixed periods of time, under the Constitution.
In the interests of this country, in the interests of all the people in this country, in working together with the two main political parties, we would like all of us to come together.
Minister of Finance & Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera:
“New laws will be introduced soon for the State to take over the frozen assets of PTL. We will not let the Bond issue cause any loss to the Government. Unlike in this case, nobody has been held accountable for the trillions of Rupees gone missing when Ajith Nivard Cabraal was the CB Governor, and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa the Finance Minister.”
“Soon after the August 2015 election, we appointed Opposition MPs to the Chair of Parliamentary Watchdog Committees COPE and the Public Account Committee. If we had come to power with the intent of misappropriating public money, this would not have been done. This NCM is a first step of a sinister political conspiracy, but it has been a failure from the start. The UNP leader was selfless in agreeing to make Maithripala Sirisena the common candidate at the January 8, 2015, election. “Becoming a Presidential Candidate from either of the two main parties is a significant gain. This was said to me by none other than former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, prior to the 2005 Presidential poll. He was referring to the money one receives from various donors when contesting the Presidential elections. ‘Win or lose the elections, you will still be a winner,” he told me.
“The initial drafts of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission are now with the PM. We will present them to the Cabinet and Parliament this year. Legislation pertaining to the Reparations Unit is also being finalised now. The Office of Missing Persons has been established and our Ministry allocated Rs 1.3 billion to make it operational.
Chief Opposition Whip JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake:
“There is a political motive to this NCM and our position has been questioned by many. Some called and asked whether our vote for the NCM against the PM, would not make us complicit for the crime of strengthening the hands of the Rajapaksa camp. Others have questioned that, by voting against it, we would be in the PM’s camp, which would tantamount to approving the Bond scams. We took a decision to vote for the NCM against the PM. We took that decision after considering the current political situation and its dynamics. On the other hand, this NCM is against corruption and racism. The JVP is always against corruption and racism. Given this perception, we have made the right decision.
The entire world knows that those who accuse the PM of the Bond scam, have committed similar frauds many times. Those who say they have no confidence in him, because of his failure to prevent the spread of racial riots in Kandy district, are champions of racism. A simple glance at the names of those signed, would show you the worst racists in recent times. They are more racists than the PM. “We hold, not only the PM, but also the President, responsible for the accusations listed in the NCM. “The NCM would have been complete, if it had also stated there is no confidence in the PM for his deliberate delaying of the investigations against the Rajapaksa’s.
Leader of the House, Minister Lakshman Kiriella:
This NCM against Ranil Wickremesinghe is full of baseless allegations and therefore, it should be considered as void. The PM is not responsible for any of the allegations mentioned in the NCM. Every time Ranil Wickeremesinghe became the PM, he has appointed an Opposition MP as Chairperson of COPE. In 2002, he appointed Late Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle as COPE Chairman. This time, he gave the post to the JVP. He also created parliamentary Oversight Committees and gave chairperson posts to both government and opposition MPs. It was because he thought there was nothing for the government to hide. Former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chandrika Kumaranatunga never did that. Neither the COPE Report nor the Presidential Commission Report on the Bond issue has said the PM is responsible for the Treasury Bond scam. Therefore, the NCM is invalid.
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader Minister Rauff Hakeem:
This NCM against PM Ranil Wickremesinghe seems an attempt to remove him from the 2020 Presidential Election race. The SLMC stands with the PM against the NCM, and considers the NCM an attack on the Government. The PM is only a symbol. It is intended to damage the image of the Government. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is attempting to take advantage of the sufferings of the Muslim people and trying to use their suffering to influence the Muslim MPs. There are attempts to manipulate the SLMC and the TNA, by those behind the NCM, stating the Government has not been able to guarantee the safety of the minorities.
“For them, the suffering of the Muslims is just another factor to manipulate. The shock, the suffering and damage to the Muslim community has been used to compel Muslim MPs to vote against the PM. They have also tried to use a speech made by one of our MPs criticising the response to the Digana communal violence, and are trying to convince people that we must vote against the Government. The SLMC believes that the Government should have acted faster in response to the communal violence, and that the Government must look at who is responsible for the clashes and the behaviour of the Law Enforcement authorities. I think that, Minister of Law & Order, Ranjith Maddumabandara has already taken some action. I believe that this NCM has made the Government stronger.”