Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law

## Summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara criticized the Government's handling of several interconnected crises, arguing that the continued extension of the Emergency is unjustified given the lack of tangible relief delivered to the approximately 40,000 families still displaced three months after Cyclone Ditta. He challenged contradictory statements by the CPC Chairman regarding fuel stocks and distribution, and questioned why two refurbished tanks at the Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex remain unfilled, noting that the current CPC Chairman had previously gone to court to block the joint Sri Lanka-India Trincomalee development project. Jayasekara further alleged that existing petroleum storage tanks in Kolonnawa are being dismantled and sold as scrap metal, and called on the President to investigate this before announcing new tank construction. He also accused the Government of double standards on the LAUGFS LPG issue, contending that the administration blocked a previous merger proposal but is now negotiating access to LAUGFS stocks following their acquisition by a politically connected investor, and raised concerns about a halted USD 12 million Maliban Textiles investment in Nikaweratiya being obstructed by legal action.

The provided text contains insufficient content to produce a meaningful summary. The excerpt appears to be only a brief procedural interjection requesting that a member be given time to clarify a point, rather than a substantive speech.

The speech is too brief to provide a meaningful summary beyond its literal content. The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law, made a single procedural statement indicating his intention to pose a question to the House, with no further detail provided in the text.

The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara tabled a petition in Parliament on behalf of Mrs. H. A. Rajika Jeewani Hettiarachchi, a resident of Kewitiya. No further details regarding the subject matter or nature of the petition were stated in the speech.

## Summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara raised several administrative and policy concerns during debate on the Bills before the House. He called on the Minister of Justice to address inadequate toilet facilities at the new Colombo District Court complex and urged the Special High Court to introduce case scheduling to allow senior counsel to appear effectively, given the court's isolated location outside the Aluthkade complex. On matters concerning the Muslim community, he tabled documentary evidence showing that SIS (State Intelligence Service) reports remain a mandatory requirement under item 8 of the Wakf Board appointment circular, contradicting Minister Bimal Ratnayake's earlier statement, and demanded a formal written directive through the Ministry of Defence to remove the requirement across approximately 2,500 mosques. He also requested ministerial approval for a pending Wakf Board matter relating to the Kattankudy mosque (letter No. 1586) and called for the release of approximately 15,000 Qur'ans held at port on the basis of an Islamic Publications Review Committee report requested by the Defence Ministry. Finally, citing Justice Gihan Kulatunga's public remarks about being passed over for promotion in 2020 in favour of junior colleagues, he called for a fair and transparent system for judicial appointments and promotions.

## Summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara demanded that the government first table the Chitrasiri Committee Report in Parliament before proceeding with its proposal to abolish MPs' pensions, noting the report was submitted to the President in December 2024 but has not been made available to Members. He argued that the pension system has historical roots dating to the post-parliamentary hardship of figures such as C.W.W. Kannangara, and that abolishing it retrospectively would unjustly harm approximately 300 former MPs, 116 widows, and disabled dependants who rely on pensions averaging Rs. 18,000–20,000, with the total cost representing only around 0.0001–0.0002% of government revenue. He also challenged the governing party's credibility on the issue by tabling a JVP financial statement showing that the party had directed MPs' and former MPs' pension funds into its own party accounts, and called for any new legislation to apply prospectively rather than retrospectively.

Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara opposed the extension of Emergency powers invoked in response to Cyclone Ditva, arguing that specific regulations—including Regulation 12 (deemed vacation of employment for strike participation), Regulation 18 (criminalising rumours via digital and AI platforms), and Regulation 33 (broad immunity from prosecution)—are disproportionate to post-disaster reconstruction needs and risk suppressing labour rights and media freedom. He contended that existing statutory authorities and public notice mechanisms are sufficient for reconstruction purposes, rendering Emergency powers unnecessary. Additionally, he raised concerns about alleged heritage violations at several archaeological sites including Katuwannawa Vihara, Ibbankatuwa prehistoric cemetery, and the Sigiriya Kaludiya Pokuna inscription, as well as the prolonged remand detention of approximately ten individuals in Trincomalee and the continued burden of high leasing interest rates on ordinary citizens. He concluded by declaring his opposition to the Emergency extension.

The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara sought clarification from the government regarding the renewal of the Emergency, questioning the justification for its extension if no suppression of any threat or unrest has occurred. He demanded that the precise reasons for the extension be formally stated on the record.

The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara acknowledged the Deputy Minister's responses and noted his party's role in securing a court-ordered age-limit extension to 45. He raised two outstanding concerns: the need for a decision on the Gazette date, which had not been addressed, and a call to explicitly include Archaeology and Sociology graduates in any new Gazette notification to prevent future complications arising from their omission.

## Summary Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara directed a series of questions to the Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education regarding unemployed graduates and Development Officers serving in schools, seeking data on graduate unemployment, government employment provided, sectoral breakdown, and the status of approximately 16,000 Development Officers functioning as teachers pending absorption into the Sri Lanka Teacher Service. The member highlighted a specific inconsistency: a Special Gazette issued on 2 February 2026 set a qualification cut-off date of 30 June 2025 for Sri Lanka Teacher Service recruitment examinations, yet the President met with Development Officers the following day and reportedly assured them they could sit the exam — raising questions about which commitment accurately reflects government policy. He argued the cut-off date unfairly excludes graduates who completed degrees after June 2025 due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 and the 2022 economic crisis, and that certain subjects including Sociology, Archaeology, and History were omitted from the recruitment scheme. Jayasekara proposed that the qualification cut-off be adjusted to the Gazette publication date of 2 February 2026, that excluded subjects be incorporated, and that approximately 500 candidates who passed the Education Service Examination be posted to provincial schools to fill vacancies arising from retirements. He also noted that with around 50,000 graduates still unplaced and only limited recruitment capacity available, a significant portion would remain ineligible, and called on the government to act before the Opposition is compelled to mobilise in support of affected youth.