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By Sandun Jayawardana

History was made at the Tenth Parliament of Sri Lanka on Tuesday when T.M.W. Deshabandu Tennakoon became the country’s first Inspector General of Police (IGP) to be removed by a parliamentary resolution.

The resolution to remove Mr. Tennakoon as IGP for misconduct and gross abuse of power, was passed overwhelmingly, with 177 MPs who were present in the chamber voting in favour and none against. Only Jaffna District Independent Group MP Ramanathan Archchuna chose to abstain from voting. MPs from the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) voted for the motion it had brought to remove Mr. Tennakoon. They were joined by MPs from several opposition parties including the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC). None of the MPs from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) or New Democratic Front (NDF) were present in the chamber when the vote was taken on Tuesday evening.  

Moving the motion to remove Mr. Tennakoon, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said this was a very important debate that will go down in Parliament history. This is the first time that a resolution is being brought before the House to remove an IGP in accordance with Section 17 of the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act, No. 5 of 2002, the minister pointed out. The Committee of Inquiry that probed the charge sheet containing 23 charges, which was served on him on May 19, unanimously found him guilty of all but four of those charges. The CoI chose not to probe two of the charges against the IGP on the grounds that a court case surrounding those matters is still pending, and he has been found not guilty of only two charges, he remarked.

The reason why this Parliament has been forced to debate a resolution to remove Deshabandu Tennakoon from the office of the IGP is because he was appointed to this position despite him being unsuited for the job. Mr. Tennakoon has been involved in many controversial incidents from the time he joined the police to the time he was appointed as the IGP by then President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the minister added.

The minister went through a list of incidents he claimed showed just how unfit Mr. Tennakoon had been to serve as the IGP. He revealed that there were as many as 40 court cases filed against Mr. Tennakoon in various courts during the period he served as the IGP. “Today, through this resolution, we are going to remove one of the most disgraceful police officers and IGPs in this country’s history,” the minister asserted.

After it was passed, the resolution was forwarded to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for his signature, confirming the removal of Mr. Tennakoon from the post of IGP.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, President Dissanayake provided an update to the House on ongoing tariff negotiations with the US. Speaking during the adjournment debate on the “Current economy of the country,” the President acknowledged the government entered into negotiations with the US at a time when the country was in a difficult position.

He stressed the government continually engaged in discussions with the US. The objective was to conclude the discussions positively and resolve the issue in a manner that would not negatively impact the country’s economy, the President said, adding that the government successfully overcame that particular challenge. The United States had presented Sri Lanka with a number of proposals during the process and these proposals are still at the discussion level, he further revealed.

“As of now, no final agreement has been reached and no deal has been signed. However, we have reached some levels of consensus in these talks. As a result of the negotiations, we were able to reduce the tariff rate to 20%, which is a notable outcome. We consider this a significant milestone in the mutual understanding reached between both parties. Our negotiation team achieved this success by continuously assessing and discussing the potential impact on local businesses and industries,” the President told the House.

He stressed that the reduction in tariff from 44% to 20% was a significant result achieved through these discussions. President Dissanayake also hit back at opposition criticism of a lack of transparency regarding the government’s negotiating process, insisting that local industry stakeholders were continuously being consulted over the potential impact of opening up certain sectors, as proposed by the US, would have on their respective businesses. “This was not a backroom conspiracy hatched by a handful of individuals, but a process of consistent and open dialogue with all relevant stakeholders. Thus, the opposition’s allegations regarding US tariffs will end here,” he emphasised.

Parliament will reconvene at 9.30am on August 19.