Foreign hand in Gotabaya’s ouster: Chief Govt. Whip wants thorough probe
Speaker: ‘What is there to investigate?’
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga yesterday (26) said that against the backdrop of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena’s recent disclosure of a powerful foreign role in the violent public protest campaign that overthrew President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, re-examination of May 09/10 and July 09/14 events was necessary.
The Gampaha District SLPP leader said so when The Island asked him why all political parties, represented in Parliament, including the ruling party, remained silent on the Speaker’s declaration on March 21.
Having comfortably defeated a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) moved against him by the Opposition, Speaker Abeywardena, after having remained silent for nearly two years, said for the first time that local and foreign conspirators asked him to take over the presidency and later threatened to harm him unless he cooperated with their strategy.
The Island asked Minister Ranatunga why political parties and various other interested groups were demanding an investigation into MP Maithripala Sirisena’s claim that he knew the mastermind of the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage but remained silent on the Speaker’s bombshell disclosure. Ranatunga assured that he would raise the issue at the Party Leaders’ meeting.
National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa alleged, in his book, Nine: The Hidden Story, that US Ambassador in Colombo Julie Chung had invited Speaker Abeywardena to succeed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on July 13, 2022.
Ranatunga said that he was not satisfied at all with the ongoing investigations into the premeditated violence directed at SLPPers across the country after attacks on Aragalaya activists besieging Temple Trees and occupying Galle Face on the evening of May 09, 2022.
Minister Ranatunga said that though a case filed against the police and military for their failure to thwart destruction of public property had been withdrawn in late May last year after an assurance received from the Public Security Ministry regarding a fresh inquiry, they were in the dark as to the progress of that investigation.
Responding to further questions, Minister Ranatunga said as one of several dozen politicians who lost personal property due to violence unleashed by organised gangs, he complained to the Human Rights Commission. “I have provided video evidence to facilitate the HRC investigation and appeared before them twice but the progress is slow. Very slow,” lawmaker Ranatunga said.
Speaker Abeywardena said that he wouldn’t pursue the matter. “What is there to investigate further,” Speaker Abeywardena said when The Island asked him whether he intended to take this up at the party leaders’ meeting.
The Speaker indicated that he didn’t see any point in pursuing foreign hand in Aragalaya when The Island pointed out angry reactions to MP Sirisena’s claim on the Easter Sunday mastermind and silence on his shocking acknowledgement of foreign hand in Aragalaya.
Minister Ranatunga said that they were clueless as to the status of the investigation. The police and military could have thwarted the attack on my residence but they did nothing, Minister Ranatunga said, emphasising the responsibility on the part of the government to punish those responsible for destruction of private properties. Similarly, those who failed to act, too, should be punished, the Minister said.
