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Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Saturday, 13 July 2019 00:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said he will go before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) as it is a legal process that aims to promote national security, and failing to do so would be an “unpatriotic act”.
Releasing a special statement a day after the Government defeated a No Confidence Motion presented against it by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Wickremesinghe was upbeat about the accomplishments of the Government. He also stressed that as the PSC has been accepted as legal by courts, it was in the best interests of the country to see the process through.
“Even though different people have said different things about the Parliamentary Select Committee, it has been accepted as legal by the Court. We have nothing to hide. Therefore I’m not afraid to go before the PSC. I have been summoned by the PSC. I will go before it and tell them what I know,” he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that the aim of the Government is to ensure that another terrorist attack like the Easter Sunday bomb blasts does not happen in Sri Lanka again. The PSC is part of the process to lay this foundation, he added.
“We must to this for the future of the country and the people. Not doing so is an unpatriotic act.”
When the Easter Sunday attacks took place, Wickremesinghe recalled that prompt action was taken to bring the situation under control and capture the people responsible and ban the organisations behind the blasts.
“Bringing the situation under control and arresting all the terrorists was our first priority. That was done in just two months, and I must thank the security forces for completing that task successfully. Even Parliament has accepted this was done properly. Afterwards, it was our responsibility to see where the lapses in national security had taken place, and why intelligence was not communicated effectively. There was a need to do this in a transparent manner and that was why we appointed the Parliamentary Select Committee.”
Wickremesinghe insisted that the Government will “find out the truth” through the PSC and more information will also be uncovered through the cases pending before the Supreme Court. However, he also stressed the quest to find out how the Easter Sunday attacks happened and who was responsible was not being done for political or personal agendas but with the intention of finding if any lapses took place and then work to fix them.
“We hope to pass new legislation to tackle international terrorism, and we also plan to coordinate more with international intelligence agencies to improve national security.”
He also directed public attention to the faster-than-expected recovery of the economy after the Easter Sunday attacks, with tourism and other key industries showing resilience.
“Due to these unexpected attacks, there were people who thought the country would stagnate, but we did not allow that to happen. This Government took forward development and provided relief where it was needed after the attacks. We expended the Samurdhi program, distributed land deeds, gave new jobs, built houses, and worked to restore the tourism industry. We will not allow the forward movement of the Government to be derailed.”
The Prime Minister emphasised that the reason the country could move forward was because the Government remained united and worked tirelessly to move the country forward.
“There are additional challenges before us; there are programs that need to be fast tracked. Let us come together for the country and achieve those as well.”
