Opposition says, Government is using the recordings to evade their promises

Colombo (News 1st): The opposition in parliament yesterday (January 8) alleged that the government is using the phone conversations to evade the promises they made to the general public. Speaking in Parliament UNP MP S.M. Marikkar noted that they said that various taxes will be reduced and certain taxes can be reduced through a gazette, however, the payee tax imposed on a large number of employees of the private sector cannot be removed without bringing an act in parliament. He noted that although the government said it will be given on the 1st, it cannot be done. He requested them to bring that act and they will help approve it. He added that they will support if they reduce the price of goods and vegetables. MP Marikkar noted that without discussing any of these they are trying to hide behind these phone conversations and abolish the 19th amendment to the constitution and bring back the authoritarian regime that was in power.

MP Vijith Wijayamuni Zoysa: The people who acted in this drama thought that they can save their government through that. They thought that they can gain some political mileage. You cannot hide behind these phone conversations and evade the promises made to the people. State Min. Nimal Lanza: How can you say that the content of Ranjan Ramanayake's phone conversations is a minor matter?. We are not trying to hide these. Ranjan Ramanayake has gone to the Gangodawila court. He is the person who recorded these conversations without any right to do so. He is the one who has committed the crime. Today he has gone to court to prevent this from circulating among the general public. What is mentioned during the conversation between Piumi Hansamali and Ranjan Ramanayake; she was sending a woman who came to obtain services from a state institution to fulfill the twisted needs of Ranjan Ramanayake. Is that fair? He converted the Madiwela MPs' residence to a prostitution zone. Hold a disciplinary inquiry and remove Ranjan Ramanayake. Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that these CD's are public property. Aren't you ashamed? Ranjan Ramanayake did not intervene in the affairs of parliament alone. He didn't interfere in the affairs of the police alone. Ranil Wickremesinghe brought him to Temple Trees and granted him the opportunity to do this. Where is the parliamentary select committee? A presidential commission should be appointed to conduct an investigation into this. MP Thushara Indunil: They came into power with a myriad of promises. they said they will nab the bond thieves. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa went to the Cardinal himself and said that he will bring the perpetrators of the April 21st attacks to justice within a few weeks of being appointed as president. But where are all of these? Nimal Lanza is speaking about these phone conversations. You must be more concerned about the criminals involved in the April 21st attacks, the incident over which you got emotional in parliament as a Catholic. But now you are speaking about a phone conversation. State Min. Nimal Lanza: His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has accepted that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is doing this properly by appointing a presidential commission to investigate it. So that is being done properly. So there is nothing to speak about that now. MP Thushara Indunil: You cried in parliament after the April 21st attacks. Now you are excited and happy about these phone conversations of Ranjan Ramanayake. Did 6.9 million people in the country vote for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to investigate the phone conversations of Ranjan Ramanayake. MP Susil Premajayantha: As the Presidential Commission is successfully conducting their hearings right now there is no need to appoint another commission until this report is submitted.

The problems faced by the general public in the country continue to increase daily. The cost of living has also skyrocketed. Farmers in the country are facing a shortage of fertilizer. The lack of clean drinking water, the human-elephant conflict, dilapidated roads, issues in the transport sector, lack of education facilities, unresolved health issues are just of few of the plethora of problems plaguing Sri Lankans for decades on end. Who will listen to these issues faced by the people? The Parliament maintained on public funds comprising of politicians are silent on these matters. Will, they not take these matters up for debate? Today, the biggest problem in the eyes of politicians is the leaked phone conversations of MP Ranjan Ramanayake. We request our public representatives to hand over the responsibility of conducting a proper investigation into the phone conversations to the relevant authorities and intervene to address the issues of the people of Sri Lanka.