Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

24 October  2019

TAMIL MP IN COMMITTEE HAS LOST THE POWER OF DIVERSITY?

If it is true that Sri Lanka suffers from ethnic divide, the leaders of minority communities need to demonstrate that through Opposition at a level equal to the majority. The Parliamentary Special Committee inquiring into Easter Bombings included Tamil Christian MP Mr M A Sumanthiran and Tamil speaking Muslim Minister Mr  Rauff Hakeem.

Neither seems to have disagreed with the Committee’s authority to investigate Defence Ministry for which the President is responsible. The President being the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces does carry immunity from prosecution. Consciously or otherwise – the President did raise this issue earlier in the year – as reported by Straight Times of Singapore on 09 June 2019:

[Sri Lanka's Parliament warned President Maithripala Sirisena not to scuttle a controversial investigation into security lapses before the Easter suicide bombings, the Speaker's office said on Sunday (June 9).

The warning came after President Sirisena said he would not cooperate with the parliamentary probe and would not allow defence or police officials to testify before the select committee.

The President called an emergency Cabinet meeting last Friday night to oppose the legislature's investigation into the April 21 attacks that killed 258 people, including 45 foreigners, and wounded nearly 500.

"Any public servant summoned by the PSC (select committee) is obliged to give evidence," Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said in a hard-hitting two-page response to Mr Sirisena.

"Officials are fully aware of the serious consequences if they fail to respond."

Officials at the Speaker's office said Mr Jayasuriya made it clear to Mr Sirisena that he will not call off the select committee and it will continue its public hearings.

Evidence before the parliamentary select committee, which began its publicly televised sittings late last month, has placed the President in a poor light, suggesting that he failed to act on advance warning of the attacks.] - Sri Lanka MPs clash with President over Easter attacks inquiry

The President has been the Minister for Defence and the President is protected by immunity from prosecution.  Given that the President represents the Sri Lankan god who exists within every Sri Lankan by belief  - as their soul – questioning the President and his men in Defence is in breach of the fundamental values governing such immunity.

The said committee is reported to have published as follows:

[Bungling by the country’s intelligence agencies and failings by the country’s top political leaders resulted in their inability to prevent or mitigate the Easter Sunday terror attacks, which left hundreds dead and scores injured, the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) which probed the attacks said in its final report yesterday.] Financial Times article ‘Intelligence failures, political failings blamed for terror attacks’

If the President identified with weaknesses – he had the authority to discipline the officers concerned  confidentially. But a President who enjoys immunity from administrative punishment  has no authority to terminate the services of another within his ministry. To so terminate would be to terminate himself. THAT is what soul power is. Jesus, Buddha or Mohamed would have terminated  themselves with officers – as if they were one unit.

Two Absolutes can exist side by side (as in coexistence)  but they cannot go into each other’s areas. One does not have executive power in the other’s area.

Both Sumanthiran and Hakeem ought to have identified with this fundamental flaw in the structure of the Government. They both failed their respective communities – strongly indicating collusion with Parliamentarians in power.