SLFP backs GR pledge to appoint fresh Presidential Comm. on Easter Sunday attacks

• Charges PSC was not impartial
• Raises concerns over allegations levelled against certain PSC members 

By Nuwan Senarathna 

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) yesterday said if Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa is elected as President, he will launch a fresh Presidential

MP Mahinda Samarasinghe

Commission to investigate the Easter Sunday attacks, and claimed that the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report, which was submitted last week, was not sufficiently credible.   

Questioning the credibility of the PSC report, the SLFP charged the Committee had failed to fully identify those responsible for the attacks being carried out. The PSC submitted its report to Parliament on 23 October.

In its report, the PSC apportioned the greatest responsibility for failure to prevent the attacks to State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Senior Police Deputy Inspector General Nilantha Jayawardana, while it found several others, including President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as having failed in their duties in the lead-up to the attacks.

Speaking to media, SLFP MP Mahinda Samarasinghe said the PSC was unable to deliver on its mandate, and argued it had failed to complete its task of identifying the failures of the Government’s national security apparatus that resulted in the Easter Sunday attacks. He charged the PSC had used State resources, but failed to submit a report that can be accepted by all parties. 

“The PSC met for months and used State resources, but they have not been able to clearly identify who was behind the Easter Sunday attacks. We expected them to do their job well, but they have not done their job comprehensively,” Samarasinghe said.

He argued that the report should have fully identified everyone behind the Easter Sunday attack, as that was the only way to prevent a future security lapse.  According to Samarasinghe, the PSC report only pointed the finger at various officials, the President, the Prime Minister, and several other parties, which in his view would not prevent future terror threats. 

Referring to the impartiality of the PSC, Samarasinghe said allegations were levelled against certain PSC members, which he declined to name before the media. “When we talk about the PSC, there were allegations levelled against some members. Photographs were also published that some members were allegedly linked to the attackers. I view that as a black mark on the impartiality of the PSC.”

He charged the PSC was driven on political motives, and that was clear from the beginning of its proceedings. Samarasinghe assured Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s first duty would be appointing a Presidential Commission to look into the Easter Sunday attack to fully identify those responsible.

“Gotabaya Rajapaksa has promised to appoint a special Presidential Commission to look into those who are responsible for the Easter Sunday attack and take action against them. This will be an independent Commission. There will be no interference by anyone. When reports are submitted, he will take action,” he said.