The current Government appears to be exploiting the national tragedy of the “Easter Attacks” as a political instrument, wielding it to evoke emotional responses and manipulate public sentiment amidst the ongoing local government election process, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa said.
Taking to ‘X’, MP Namal Rajapaksa said such conduct marks a disheartening descent into cheap and manipulative political opportunism.
“The Final Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), chaired by Justice Janak de Silva, was formally submitted to Parliament on 23rd February 2021, pursuant to the directives of the then-President. Subsequently, the PCoI report was tabled in Parliament on or around 25th February 2021.
“The report remains publicly accessible via the official website of Parliament. The Honourable Attorney General is already in possession of—and fully apprised of—the contents of this report,” he said.
MP Rajapaksa further said that a legitimate criminal investigation must be conducted objectively and impartially.
“To first identify a target and then seek evidence to support a preconceived accusation is not an investigation—it is a deliberate orchestration aimed at persecuting individuals, particularly those with dissenting political views,” he pointed out.
MP Namal Rajapaksa urged the Government, replete with performative displays of moral superiority, to cease using this sorrowful national tragedy as a tool for political gain.
“Such actions are not only disingenuous but also deeply disrespectful to the memory of the victims. It is, by every measure, unbecoming, cynical, and shameful,” he added.
SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa’s remarks come after the Presidential Commission of Inquiry report into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks was officially handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
According to Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala, the report was handed over by the Secretary to the President yesterday, following a directive from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. (Newswire)