Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Kavinda Jayawardena has announced that he will inform the Vatican about what he described as the government’s failure to conduct a proper investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and the rejection of the no-confidence motion brought against the Deputy Defense Minister.
Speaking at a media briefing, MP Jayawardena stated that although the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks has been arrested, the government has not carried out investigations in a transparent manner. He claimed that no comprehensive investigation or further arrests have been made in connection with the attacks.
Jayawardena further criticized the government for failing to deliver justice to the victims, particularly the Catholic community, by neglecting to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the attacks.
He also questioned the legitimacy of the current Deputy Defense Minister holding office, pointing out that he was serving as the Eastern Commander at the time of the Easter Sunday bombings. According to the Presidential Commission report, intelligence agencies in the Eastern Province had already located the hideouts of Zaharan Hashim and his group before the attacks took place. The Deputy Defense Minister has also reportedly given a statement to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding these findings.
Jayawardena expressed concern that Aruna Jayasekara, who was the Eastern Commander during the investigations, is now serving as Deputy Defense Minister, making it impossible to conduct an independent inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks.
He explained that this was the reason why the opposition, led by the SJB, brought forward a no-confidence motion against the Deputy Defense Minister. However, the Speaker of Parliament did not table the motion, which Jayawardena said highlights the government’s lack of transparency.
According to Jayawardena, the government is fearful of the no-confidence motion because there are members within the ruling party who would have supported it. He alleged that this fear prompted the government to block the motion entirely.
The SJB, Jayawardena said, is now preparing to inform both the Vatican and the International Parliamentary Forum of the government’s actions. If the government continues to ignore the people’s grievances, he warned, the matter will be taken to the international community. The SJB’s goal, he emphasized, is to protect and strengthen democracy for the people of Sri Lanka.
Jayawardena also commented on certain factions within the government who he claimed are attempting to prevent any other political party from coming to power. Drawing parallels to Nepal, he recalled that when a left-wing government was in power there, public anger grew after authorities banned social media to suppress dissent. This, he said, only fueled greater unrest, eventually forcing the Prime Minister to flee the country and leading to the assassination of ministers.
He stressed that underestimating the power of the people is dangerous and reaffirmed that the SJB does not wish for such turmoil to occur in Sri Lanka. Instead, the country should move forward within a democratic framework, which, he said, is the wish of the SJB.
Jayawardena concluded by noting that society is closely observing the actions of the current government’s ministers, and warned that if the government believes it can cling to power indefinitely, it is mistaken.
