The Government legislators who aired their views during the two day Adjournment debate on the President’s Policy Statement moved by the Opposition were highly critical of the revelations found in UNP Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake’s audio clips and added that the UNP has almost completely damaged the judicial sector but the blame cannot just be passed on only to Ranjan Ramanayake. The Government lawmakers stressed that the UNP and the entire Yahapalana Government are totally responsible for damaging the entire judicial mechanism of the country.
Minister Wimal Weerawansa who joined the debate said the people voted for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa more in the interest of the country and its future than their ‘personal comforts’. Those 6.9 million people who voted for the President didn’t think of their personal comforts and they voted for the President solely for the security of the motherland and its future development. That is why the youth have voluntarily come forward to draw paintings on walls countrywide with their patriotic feelings auguring for a good future. The UNP which undermined the Sinhala community and governed the country to cater to the agendas of various extremist groups finally had to face a massive electoral defeat but unfortunately, they have still not realised this.
Minister Weerawansa commenting on Ranjan Ramanayake’s ‘audio clip drama’ said a popular film Handa Pata Eliyata is being screened now and that Ranjan Ramanayake is its main actor. At present, the episodes of the film are being released one by one. He told the House in lighter vein Ethakota salupata ahasata yanna patan gannawa. Some of the audio clips show how Ranjan Pamanayake had influenced former judge Padmini Ranawaka. This is clear testimony of the misuse of the law by the Yahapalana Government to realise their narrow political gains.
This is only the release of a few audio clips and there are 127,000 more such audio clips. Some of the episodes of the film so far released include Padmini Ranawaka, Shani Abeysekara, Gihan Pilapitiya and Piumi Hansamali. Minister Weerawansa described this as retribution in the form of the Ditta dhamma vedaneeya karmaya. When the Yahapalana Government came to power, they manifested their hatred by removing the flower pots at Temple Trees. The Yahapalana Government assumed duties by formally remanding Buddhist monks. Shani Abeysekara’s audio clip reveals as to how Army intelligence officers were remanded. It is Ranjan Ramanayke who wanted to remand Parliamentarians Namal Rajapaksa, Johnston Fernando and not to grant bail to MP Udaya Gammanpila. That was the Yahapalanaya given by the former Government.
Minister Weerawansa further said that however, Ranjan Ramanayake in some of his audio clips has spoken the truth. In one audio clip Ranjan says “ Sajith doesn’t have a big capacity and there is nothing in his head. Sajith utters what Kili Maharaja dictates to him. I have worked closely with Sajith but he doesn’t have any capacity.
He enacted media shows by walking along log bridges in remote villages. It is obvious that Sajith is handled by Kili Maharaja and Maithri Gunaratne so he cannot make his own decisions.” The Minister said that they call upon the IGP to produce all these audio clips to the Chief Justice and take necessary action against the judges who had illicit dealings with Ranjan Ramanayake. We also request to erase the mistrust created in the minds of the people about the judiciary and reestablish their confidence in it. If capital punishment is given by some judges in the hope of promotions following the instructions given by Ranjan Ramnayake, the people would perhaps cast serious doubts on the judiciary.
The former Government during the past four and half years completely deprived the public of their confidence in the judiciary. Ranjan Ramanayake has prayed for restraining orders from the Gangodawila courts to prevent publishing his audio clips via media. If a restraining order is made, the people might think that it is also a similar ruling given during the tenure of the previous regime. There is no need to give restraining orders. The people should know what happened during the past four years of the Yahapalana Government.
Meanwhile, when on a recorded phone conversation between former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake where the former is alleged to have sanctioned the latter to go ahead assassinating the then Opposition MP Mahindanana Aluthgamage was going viral in social media it it turned into a hot topic in Parliament.
State MinisterAluthgamage raising a privilege in Parliament said that in the leaked telephone conversation circulating on social media, Ranjan Ramanayake is clearly seeking the blessings of the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe to assassinate him. The Prime Minister also gives his approval to this sinister plot. This is a very grave situation where a Prime Minister and a Deputy Minister is plotting the assassination of an Opposition MP. He also brought up the issue where Ranjan Ramanayake was found practicing his shooting capabilities at the Madiwela official MP’s residence in 2016 and MP Udaya Gammanpila raised a privilege issue in Parliament regarding this matter.
The State Minister also read out the response given in Parliament by the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that Ranjan Ramanayake was practicing his shooting. He said in the recording of their conversation, the Prime Minister advises Ramanayake to tell the Police that while practicing he had accidentally shot me. It is the Prime Minister who is telling his Deputy Minister as to how to get away by claiming that it was a mistake. Ramanayake is heard telling the Prime Minister that the former IGP had saved him based on the intervention of PM Wickremesinghe.
State Minister Aluthgamage told the House that such foolish acts were to be expected of someone like Ranjan Ramanayake. But, this was the country’s Prime Minister who is heard plotting the assassination of an Opposition MP and encouraging him to carry out this crime.
“Ranjan Ramanayake is known to do any foolishness to gain public attention but it is totally unacceptable for the Prime Minister to be encouraging and plotting such crimes. He called on the new Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa to make a statement regarding this issue. He said “As the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is not in Parliament today, at least as the new Opposition Leader, he should make a statement as to what action his party is going to take against such MPs.” Aluthgamage said that the whole Opposition should be held responsible for this incident. “All of you who were members in the previous Cabinet should take responsibility for this incident. All of you knew what was happening. You were all conniving together during meetings at Temple Trees to target opposition leaders.”
However, responding to State Minister Aluthgamage’s statement, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Parliament that he was not a conspirator who would plot with an MP to assassinate another MP. He said during the raid on MP Ramanayake’s residence the Police had taken some tapes into custody. However, he said it was questionable as to how these tapes are being circulated among the media and social media. Therefore, Wickremesinghe called on the Police to take these tapes into custody and conduct an investigation and initiate action against anyone who may have committed any crime.
Participating in the Adjournment Debate on the President’s Policy Statement, TNA Leader R.Sampanthan said he had identified issues of importance and accepted that it is action oriented and result oriented. Depending on its implementation, things could get done substantially and one must concede that people and youth could benefit. Sampanthan said, that if we are to succeed in our own efforts to introduce substantial changes, the country needs to be seen in a different perspective.
It was the vote of Condolence on former Prime Minister D.M.Jayaratne on Thursday (January 09). Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa his old, contemporary and close buddy was present well in advance, perhaps to have a word or two with his peers. D.M.’s son-in-law State Minister Mahindananda was next to the Premier when he was praising the latter’s virtues. While speaking occasionally, PM’s eyes were on Aluthgamage. It appears Mahindananda has endorsed what the Premier said. In lighter vein, PM Rajapaksa recounted: “Some words are unparliamentary ‘moo’ is one of them swhich DM imported to the House. There were DAMU and WIJAMU also.” DM never asked for position, the PM concluded.