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Ahead of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s announcement of the ‘good news’ to Parliament this week on the finalising of bilateral debt restructuring agreements with creditors, there was sad news for the country and the Legislature in particular, as Sri Lanka lost one of its most senior parliamentarians, ITAK Trincomalee District MP Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, who tirelessly fought for the equal rights of the Tamil people.

He passed away on Sunday at the age of 91, having served as a Member of Parliament for close to five decades. Mr. Sampanthan first entered parliament in 1977, having contested from the Tamil United National Front (TULF) in 1977, and continued to serve as a MP till his demise, excluding the period between 1983 and 1989 when he joined 15 other TULF lawmakers who forfeited their parliamentary seats by refusing to take oaths in terms of the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution introduced to disavow separatism in the county.  

Though no parliament sittings had been scheduled for this week, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena notified Parliament by a gazette notification on June 25 that the House would meet on July 2 and that the special sitting day had been called on the request of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

Two special days were scheduled after the Committee on Parliamentary Business agreed to debate the resolution on the external debt restructuring agreements on July 2 and 3 after an address by the President in which he would detail the terms of the agreements.

A vote on the resolution was scheduled for 5 p.m. on July 3, with rumours abuzz that several members of the main opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), would break ranks and vote in favour of the resolution.

However, with the news of the demise of the ITAK parliamentarian, who is also the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), it was announced that only the speech by the President will take place as scheduled on July 2, while the remains of the late MP will lay in state in Parliament on the afternoon of July 3 for his colleagues, parliamentary staff, and other dignitaries to pay their last respects.

Not everyone was convinced that the reason to delay the debate and vote on the restructuring agreement was due to the demise of Mr. Sampanthan, with SJB lawmaker Harsha de Silva, who heads the parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), stating he had refused to call a meeting of the CoPF as requested by the President to approve the Sri Lanka bilateral debt deal so it could be debated and voted in as the Finance Ministry had refused to release the agreement. “Can’t approve unknown! Thus, no debate, no vote,” he said on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Politicians and diplomats turned up in Parliament to pay their last respects to the late TNA leader, R. Sampanthan. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara

In his speech in Parliament on Tuesday, the President said his government has achieved yet another significant milestone in the challenging journey of restoring economic stability to the country by reaching an agreement with the country’s official creditors regarding the repayment of the loans.

He gave a timeline of the activities undertaken under his leadership in the past two years that resulted in reaching this milestone.

The President also emphasised that the path taken by the government was the only viable option and the only route to ensure that this good news resonates into the future.

“Our past achievements underscore this necessity repeatedly. There can be no turning back, regardless of who assumes power. Any deviation from this path would lead to dire consequences within a month or two—shortages of gas and electricity loom ominously,” he warned.

The President, who first entered Parliament along with Mr. Sampanthan in 1977, also paid tribute to the TNA leader.

“I had the privilege of working closely with him during challenging times, and I deeply appreciate the contributions he made. Despite representing the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), he consistently upheld Sri Lanka’s territorial integrity,” he said.

He said that the late MP held his distinct perspective on power-sharing, and completing the tasks he started would be the best tribute to his legacy.

The President was joined by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa in paying tribute to Mr. Sampanthan, whom he described as a progressive leader.

“He was vocal about national unity and protecting Sri Lanka’s territorial integrity and championed good relations between all ethnic groups,” he said.

ITAK Jaffna district MP M.A. Sumanthiran said that while the Tamil national question could not be resolved during the lifetime of the TNA leader, he appealed to the President and the government to resolve the problem to the satisfaction of all the people of the country before the term of the incumbent president ends in October this year.

On Wednesday, the remains of the late TNA leader lay in state in Parliament, where the Speaker and Prime Minister led tributes to the late politician. They were joined by MPs from all parties as well as foreign envoys.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission notified that the seat that became vacant with the death of the ITAK MP would be filled by Kathiravelu Sanmugam Kuhadasan.

Parliament will meet as scheduled on July 9, but the postponed debate on the debt restructuring agreements as well as the agreements reached with international sovereign bondholders and the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) to restructure the country’s external debt will not take place this week. The new date for the debate is likely to be in the third week of this month.