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By Sandun Jayawardana

As President Anura Kumara Dissanayake marked one year in office, his National People’s Power (NPP) government became embroiled in a controversy over two recently seized containers found to contain chemicals used for the production of crystal methamphetamine, also known as ‘ice’.

The issue came up repeatedly throughout this week’s debates in Parliament. Even as NPP MPs pointed to how the main suspect in the case was connected to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), it had to face questions from the opposition as to how the containers that were detected in Middeniya had been cleared from port even after intelligence had been received, warning that two containers had narcotics hidden inside.

Ananda Wijepala

The government also faced allegations that it had failed to fulfil most of the promises it made, though it had been in power for a year. SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa hit back at the government on Tuesday over its MPs repeatedly bringing up past incidents. “Your government has been in power for a year now. You came to power after making many promises. But have you checked how many of those promises you have fulfilled thus far and how much people benefited from that?” he questioned the government.

He observed that the government came to power on a manifesto titled ‘A Thriving Nation, A Beautiful Life’ but quipped that recent revelations regarding asset declarations of NPP MPs showed that at least the 159 MPs in the government seem to have thrived over the past year. He questioned how government MPs could become millionaires if, as the NPP claimed, the people had been living under a ‘curse’ for over the past 70 years. “If that did not happen and they were indeed subjected to a curse, then how did they become millionaires over the course of the past year?” he queried.

Government MPs, meanwhile, repeatedly brought up the fact that Sampath Manamperi, the main suspect arrested over the two ‘Ice’ containers, was a former SLPP Pradeshiya Sabha candidate.

As the debate heated up on Thursday over the containers—which, according to the Government Analyst’s Department, contained chemicals used in the production of ‘Ice’—Mr Rajapaksa accused the government of trying to shift blame onto the opposition to cover up its own failings in allowing the containers to be released from the port.

Namal Rajapaksa

“You may point a finger at us, but remember that four fingers are pointing in your direction at the same time,” he said.

Mr Rajapaksa claimed that the two containers had been cleared for release by the Police Narcotics Bureau and Sri Lanka Customs even though a foreign agency had supplied intelligence that narcotics were hidden inside the two containers shipped from Tehran.

The comments drew Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala into the debate. He noted that the main suspect in the case, Sampath Manamperi, was linked to the SLPP and had served as coordinating secretary to a former SLPP Cabinet Minister. “There are plenty of SLPPers who are connected to the narcotics trade. Some have already been arrested, while investigations into others are ongoing,” Mr Wijepala said.

The minister said the people knew who had been bringing drugs to the country and nourishing the underworld. He added that a probe was also ongoing as to how the two containers had been cleared from the port.

Opposition MPs also brought up the controversy surrounding the release of more than 300 ‘red-flagged’ containers from the Colombo Port in January without subjecting them to a physical inspection.

Speaking during the adjournment debate on the “Fourth Report of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE)”, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahman raised the issue over the release of the 309 ‘red-flagged’ containers. “If the two containers seized from Middeniya and now confirmed to contain ‘Ice’ had been released even after an inspection, what is there to say about the 309 that were released without any inspection?”
he asked. Mr Rahman also queried as to why there seemed to be a delay in arresting officials responsible for clearing the two ‘Ice’ containers.

SLPP Hambantota District MP D.V. Chanaka, meanwhile, questioned why the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) was not looking into the release of the containers from the Colombo Port without subjecting them to inspection. “Where are the probes into this? There are no investigations from COPE or the government or the CID or police,” he said.

Regarding the release of the 309 containers, Ports Minister Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament that the President had appointed a committee of inquiry into the incident and its investigation was still ongoing. He expressed confidence that any officials found guilty of wrongdoing would face action.