2026-02-19 / Debate (Continued): Judicature (Amendment) Bill and Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill - Committee and Third Reading 2026-02-19
## Summary
Hon. Chanaka Madugoda expressed support for the Judicial Organization (Amendment) Bill and the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill, while arguing that the drug crisis must be addressed collectively rather than politicised, citing unresolved questions about two narcotics containers allegedly cleared without explanation and accusations extending across party lines. He raised three specific accountability concerns: the 2026 Tri-Forces dry rations tender, which he alleges caused a Rs. 180 million loss by not awarding to the lowest bidder and has received no ministerial response; the failure to regularise casual workers at Lanka Mineral Sands despite a ministerial assurance made in March of the prior year; and inconsistencies in Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka's public statements regarding the "white flag" incident. He also criticised what he characterised as a broader Government tendency to undermine religious institutions, citing a television incident in which a senior Buddhist monk was addressed disrespectfully by a Government MP.
Hon. Deputy Speaker, we strongly support the Judicial Organization (Amendment) Bill and the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill. However, the drug crisis should not be politicized. Those who once claimed that politicians were behind drugs are now facing similar accusations. Intelligence indicated two containers of narcotics entered the country; how those containers were cleared remains a mystery. Members of your Government—including MPs, local councillors, and even some principals—have faced accusations. This is not about any one party; drugs have gripped the whole society. We must unite to fight this common threat rather than point fingers.
These amendments are driven by global needs, international commitments, and public security and health. But laws and punishments alone will not solve it. All religious institutions—Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, and Islamic—have actively supported drug prevention. Yet the Government has been rejecting and undermining religious bodies. Yesterday, a Government MP on a main TV channel addressed Most Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Nayaka Thero merely as “Kassapa” on air. A decent person would apologize; he did not. That insult was not only to the monk but to all Buddhists and the saffron robe. This reflects a broader trend of undermining religious institutions.
On another matter, I have repeatedly raised the 2026 tender for supplying dry rations to the Tri-Forces, which caused a loss of Rs. 180 million by not awarding to the lowest bidder. No Minister has answered why this happened. I invite a response.
Also, despite an assurance last March by the Minister that casual workers recruited by Lanka Mineral Sands would be made permanent, one and a half years later they remain unregularized. Many have incurred debts to continue working. Please regularize their employment.
Finally, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka recently made statements contradicting his past claim in the Sunday Leader about the “white flag” incident. Now he says former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa acted to protect and release LTTE leaders. Is this political expediency? We respect him as a former military leader, but we question the consistency and value of these statements.
Let us put politics aside and collectively pass these vital Bills.
Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.