My privileges as an MP were breached – Ponnambalam

MP Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam yesterday raised a Matter of Privilege in Parliament, saying that his privileges as an MP were breached by the incident where he was arrested.

He said that the Police Headquarters spokesman who is also an Attorney-at-Law has been making several false statements to the media regarding the incident. All these statements have been made as the official position of the police inquiry, whilst till yesterday my statement regarding the incident has not been obtained.

Several Sinhala and English media have unquestioningly accepted the Police’s version of events despite the Police being a party to the June 2nd incident and have published many news items that are blatantly false or thoroughly misleading at the very least. Even when my father was assassinated, my family didn’t run. Even at the height of the war when white van abductions were rampant and extrajudicial killings were taking place against Tamils, I didn’t run away. Now, when the Police have completely exposed themselves for what they are. The institution is completely corrupted. It unleashes state terror on the Tamil people. They have acted illegally and partially, in my case completely. I’m hardly going to run away. It is in fact in my and my people’s interest to expose everything for what it is.

Considering that it is ultimately the Police Department itself that has to investigate this incident which also consists of possible crimes committed by one of its own Police personnel. The fact that the Police Department has already drawn adverse conclusions against me, means that my rights have been violated by the entire department and it has thereby lost its credibility to investigate this matter in a just and impartial manner pertaining to me and other individuals associated with me, whose rights have been violated.”

Accordingly, I urge the Speaker to take all measures to safeguard my rights and privileges.