Children carry school bags today instead of cyanide capsules -Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Highways, Ports and Shipping Project Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena called upon the UNP to read the Hansard and learn how the SLFP- led coalition fulfilled the legitimate role of the Opposition from 2001 to 2004 when President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the Opposition Leader. The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said looking at the list of Opposition speakers during the Budget debate , the Opposition MPs who didn't speak are more senior than those who spoke. Their attendance in Parliament is also on the decline. If the people are aware of the true situation, they will never elect them to Parliament. Instead of fulfilling their role in Parliament, the UNP has many issues to be sorted out at Sirikotha. By the time these scores are settled Parliament would have adjourned.

Minister Abeygunawardena said today children in the North don't have cyanide capsules around their necks, instead it it is a school bag. The Government has reconstructed schools, hospitals and roads in the North which were destroyed by the LTTE. But some quarters query what the Government has done with regard to reconciliation. The Government has provided the people in the North and East to exercise their franchise after a lapse of 30 years. The need of the hour is that Tamil political leaders should join hands with Sinhala political leaders to bridge the gap in the North and the South. But most Tamil political leaders are not genuinely interested to do so.

Excerpts of the interview.

Q: Doesn't TNA MP S. Sritharan’s controversial speech in Parliament run counter to parliamentary Standing Orders and his oath of allegiance to the Constitution?

A: TNA MPs like Sritharan have come to Parliament by rousing racial sentiments among the people. When we look into the number of votes they have obtained, it is less than even the number of votes obtained by a Pradeshiya Sabha member. The LTTE was backed by the TNA. As I remember, one TNA MP was elected to Parliament with nine votes. In that scenario at that time in the North, it was easy for separatist elements who endorsed the LTTE’s gun culture to be elected to Parliament. Now TNA MPs like Sritharan are complaining as that atmosphere has completely changed. Now they have no safety net due to the eradication of the ruthless LTTE. Once again they are introducing racial hatred into the minds of innocent Tamil youth. We regret that Sritharan’s lack of knowledge of parliamentary Standing Orders and traditions. TNA Parliamentarians also need to be ‘reintegrated’ as was done for ex-LTTE combatants.

Q: When drone attacks kill civilians in Pakistan and troops from Western countries kill Afghans, Iraqis and Libyans, what is the basis for the UK’s ultimatum to Sri Lanka to hold a ‘credible’ inquiry into the alleged ‘war crimes’?

A: If we take British Prime Minister David Cameron as an example, it was the UK and the US which created a fear psychosis among the world that Iraq had nuclear weapons. By doing so, they destabilised that stable country. The accepted theory is that in whatever country the person who gets the consent of the majority of the people should be elected as the leader of that country. The people of Iraq elected Saddam Hussein as their leader. According to our point of view, that may be wrong. If countries like the US and the UK want to safeguard human rights in other countries, what is the freedom or human rights that they have ensured in their own countries? At this particular moment Iraq is on fire. No nuclear weapons were found in Iraq by these Western countries and no freedom or human rights has been granted to the people in Iraq. What they did was to ruin the entire Iraq. Western countries like Britain have been failed to present reports even on certain incidents took place within their own country. But they are making a big hue and cry to safeguard human rights in other countries.

All the ruthless LTTE killings and the deaths of our soldiers and Tamil youth who were forcibly recruited to the LTTE were stopped after May 19, 2009. None of these Western countries utter a single word about the ruthless killings committed by the LTTE over the past 30 years.

They just only talk about incidents that took place in the final phase of the humanitarian operation. They don’t make any comment on the moves taken by the Government to put an end to the three decades of LTTE terrorism. We have a lengthy list of ruthless terrorist activities committed by the LTTE such as massacre of Bhikkhus at Aranthalawa, killing of devotees at Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, attack on Sri Dalada Maligawa and various other atrocities they committed in Colombo.How many Tamil political leaders were killed by the LTTE? We would like to ask from the British Premier, david Cameron and UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay who is responsible for the killing of T. Maheswaran, Alfred Duraiappah and Joseph Pararajasingham? When terrorism is being eradicated in a country, some Western countries resort to the practise of giving gratis everything to terrorists under the pretext of human rights. One day sanity will prevail. Europe is collapsing, I see this as an attempt made by imperialists to destabilise emerging Asia.

Q: Over 12,000 ex-LTTE combatants were rehabilitated and integrated into society. But some pro-LTTE politicians claim that their grievances have not been addressed by the Government. Is there any truth in this allegation?

A: Tamil politicians have aired their views freely due to the peaceful atmosphere created in the North and the East. If they attempted to do so earlier they would have been killed by the LTTE. They were afraid of death and they didn’t go to the North or utter even a single word about the LTTE atrocities that were committed. They were based in Colombo and said something in favour of the LTTE. Today the children in the North don't have cyanide capsules round their neck, but school bags after the dawn of peace. The Government has reconstructed schools, hospitals and roads in the North which were destroyed by the LTTE. But some quarters query as to the Government has done with regard to reconciliation? The Government gave the opportunity to the people in the North and the East to exercise their franchise after a lapse of 30 years. At present the Northern Provincial Council has been set up and the people have elected their Chief Minister. They have also elected their representatives to Local Government institutions in the North and the East. What more reconciliation can be expected other than this? The need of the hour is Tamil political Leaders to join hands with Sinhala political Leaders to bridge the gap in the North and the South. But most of the Tamil political leaders are not genuinely interested to do so.

Q: Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa winding up the debate on the second reading of the Budget also stressed the need to solve our internal problems by ourselves. Instead of doing this why is the TNA and certain sections pressurising external forces to interfere into our domestic issues?

A: Actually the second generation of Tamil Leaders are not in Sri Lanka. They are living in some powerful countries in Europe. They don’t have a genuine feeling for the children in Jaffna or Kilinochchi. Tamil politicians like the TNA always use the cause of the Tamil people for their political survival. If they are genuinely concerned about their people as President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Minister Basil Rajapaksa said we should discuss it between ourselves and solve our internal problems. That is why a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) has been appointed. The TNA and other Opposition political parties can come to the PSC and express their views. If there are any shortcomings or problems, they can point it out at the PSC. All these are internal matters that should be sorted out by ourselves. If somebody seeks the assistance of the international community to sort out our internal matters, this just shows that they attempt to take undue advantage from this issue.

Q: The Opposition without talking about the tangible benefits gained from CHOGM is critical about the expenditure. Would you like to comment on this?

A: Those who level baseless allegations about CHOGM would get a good answer from the people at the next election. Because today people are intelligent. So many programs were conducted by private media institutions on CHOGM. None of them spoke of CHOGM being an unnecessary expenditure. Everybody talked about the honour the country gained by hosting CHOGM. We are a country which faced 30 years of brutal terrorist war. Those days Sri Lanka was identified as a war ravaged country. As a result, tourist arrivals and foreign investment declined.

The Heads of Governments and delegates of 53 Commonwealth countries who visited Sri Lanka saw for themselves the ground situation in the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected to the chairmanship of the Commonwealth. The Opposition should not look at President with hatred. He is the Leader and Commander in Chief. The people irrespective of political difference expressed satisfaction regarding the hosting of CHOGM in Sri Lanka. We as Sri Lankans set an example to countries which held CHOGM and those willing to host it. The best example we set was how to work in an orderly manner and be hospitable. The next country which is going to be the venue for CHOGM will have to think twice about how they should get about organising CHOGM. All State Leaders who attended CHOGM 2013 appreciated the manner in which it was organised.

Q: The budget is not a relief package but an instrument to ensure economic development by appropriating Government’s revenue suitably. Your comments?

A: The UNP presented Budgets from 1977 to 1994. The UNP Budgets were based on a mathematical order. For example, when the prices of liquor and cigarettes were increased the price of sugar was reduced. At the same time, the prices of onions and rice went up. That is how the UNP presented Budgets. When the Budget speech was being read out and the price of some commodity was reduced, all UNP MPs clapped. If the price of some food commodity was increased, they expressed displeasure. Is this the way to handle the country’s economy? Parliament is not an institution like the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to increase and reduce prices of food commodities. The Budgets presented by the UNP during their 17 years regime had operated like the CAA. This Budget presented by the President is not confined to 2014. In 2005, the President in the “ Mahinda Chinthana” introduced a five- year plan.

The ' Mahinda Chinthana', a vision for the future has been planned until 2020. All Budgets presented by the President are connected. But the UNP wants a Budget where they can only clap.

The Budget should be a policy framework which helps to develop the country’s infrastructure facilities, increase the Government's revenue and encourage private sector participation. That is how countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia turned into emerging economies in Asia. We should also study the methods adopted by them. That is why new ports, airports, express ways and power projects are constructed in Sri Lanka. This is the country’s economy. When the people are economically strengthened, there is no need to do mathematical gimmicks on consumer goods. Budget 2014 can be described as a Budget of that nature. Did any UNP government present any policy framework like the “Mahinda Chinthana”?. Former UNP Government from 2001 to 2004 introduced a “Regaining Sri Lanka” program. The people who rejected this program toppled the UNP Government in three years. It was a document which paved the way to sell the country’s resources.

Q: How do you view the contribution made by Opposition members during the debate on the Budget 2014?

A: We were also in Parliament being Opposition MPs from 2001 to 2004. Then our Opposition Leader was President Mahinda Rajapaksa functioned with understanding about the role of the Opposition Leader. Then we acted as a strong Opposition in Parliament. But we always appreciated the good work done by the then UNP Government. When that Government in power went on the wrong track, we as the Opposition did everything possible against it in Parliament. We proved with facts to some UNP Ministers about the wrongdoings taking place in their Ministries.

We fulfilled our role as the Opposition. When the Budget 2014 was presented in Parliament by the President, the UNP boycotted it. The Opposition should first read the Budget proposals. Even before they saw the Budget 2014, they opposed it. If you look at the list of Opposition speakers, you can see the number of Opposition MPs who didn't speak during the Budget debate are much more senior to those who spoke. Opposition MPs in Parliament is declining by the day. If the people are aware on the true situation, they will never elect them to Parliament. Before fulfilling their role in Parliament, the UNP has many issues to straighten out at Sirikotha. By the time those clashes are settled by the UNP at Sirikotha, Parliament would have adjourned. I would like to call upon the UNP to read the Hansards of the past and learn how the SLFP- led coalition fulfilled the role of Opposition from 2001 to 2004 when President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the Opposition Leader.