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P’ment culture: Oppo. MP Rohini Kavirathna tells Spkr. to ‘shut up’

P’ment culture: Oppo. MP Rohini Kavirathna tells Spkr. to ‘shut up’

24 Jul 2025 | BY Buddhika Samaraweera


A heated situation arose in the Parliament due to certain comments made by the main Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s Parliamentarian Rohini Kumari Wijerathna Kaviratne, targeting the Speaker of the House, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, while she was asking a supplementary question yesterday morning  (23). The Speaker had stated in the Parliament that Kaviratne had taken more than four minutes to ask the supplementary question. However, the situation escalated when she replied saying: “Please shut your mouth and listen”, prompting heated exchanges between the ruling party and Opposition Legislators in the Chamber.

A heated argument took place in the Parliament between the Speaker of the Parliament, and Government, and Opposition MPs, following a question raised by Kaviratne regarding the environmental pollution and traffic congestion caused by the closure of a road in front of the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy. Kaviratne, who had questioned the Government about the 1989 terrorist attack on the Temple of the Tooth, said that the Government was claiming that there was no issue with national security. She stated: "The Government is removing Army camps in the North, withdrawing the Police, opening highways, removing roadblocks, and claiming to be suppressing organised crime smoothly. They say that there are only isolated clashes between organised crime groups."


When she was making the explanation, Dr. Wickramaratne was seen saying: "Ask your question. You have already taken three minutes", to which she was seen replying: "The question is being raised, Speaker. I can’t raise it without explaining these things. You also listen a bit. I will ask the question. Is it wrong to say that there is no problem with national security?" As she continued, the Speaker interrupted and said: "You have already taken over three minutes to ask a supplementary question." At this point, she said, “The closure of this road causes environmental pollution and traffic congestion in Kandy. After talking to the Chief Prelates (Mahanayakas) about this, there was a proposal for some time to construct a road to Peradeniya from the other side of the Ampitiya area as an alternative. If not, what decision will you take to remove this congestion and prevent this environmental pollution? Will you take any action?” At this point, Dr. Wickramaratne was seen reminding her that she should raise the question without making lengthy explanations, and the exchanges grew tense as Kaviratne directly told the Speaker:“Please shut up and listen.” The Speaker responded: “Who are you talking to?” and repeated, “Who are you talking to?” Then he told her, “You are taking four minutes to ask a supplementary question. Speak with some discipline.”

Following this, the Deputy Minister of Labour, Mahinda Jayasinghe also jumped in and said, “This is not a school or a classroom. She is speaking in a way that is not even befitting a teacher (Kaviratne was serving as a teacher before she entered politics). The Speaker is being told to shut up. Please tell her to withdraw it.”

The Speaker was also seen saying: "I don’t understand. I have clearly told you before that a supplementary question should be asked on a point arising from the main question. But, you are asking a separate question, and to ask it, you are taking four minutes. It is a waste of time, and does not make sense."

Opposition MP Chaminda Wijesiri then stood up and tried to raise a point under Standing Orders regarding the matter, but he was told to sit down by the Speaker.

The Speaker then called on the Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala to answer the question raised by Kaviratne. Despite repeated calls from the Speaker, Wijepala did not, at first, respond.

Kaviratne protested and said that she had asked a supplementary question directly connected to her main one. She said: “Please look at the question I asked again. How does it not align with the main question?"

As Wijepala had earlier said that there was no clear information about the 1989 attack on the Temple of the Tooth, Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara stood up and said that there was in fact related information available. He presented several details and urged Wijepala to present the relevant information to the Parliament.

At this point, the Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Rathnayake, who stood up, responded by saying, “We have told the Director General of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka to investigate the mass grave in Matale. These are the daughters of those murderers who are here today”, pointing at the Opposition. “That is why we are investigating it. Some of the people here today are owners of private torture chambers.” he added.

Jayasekara responded, saying, “No MP can target another MP and make such allegations. Tell us the names. Tell us who they are? Who owns torture chambers?”

Rathnayake replied: “Is it something unknown that United National Party (UNP) MPs and Ministers in 1987, 1988, and 1989 ran private torture chambers? In 1988–1989, 60,000 people were killed by UNP leaders. Don’t forget that. We will not only reveal their names, we will file cases and arrest you (pointing to the Opposition) through courts. Remember. We will arrest you through the courts.”

Opposition MP Ajith P. Perera then stood up and said: “Rathnayake targeted Kaviratne and called her ‘the daughter of a murderer’. That is wrong.” But, he was not allowed to finish his statement by the Speaker.”

Finally, Kaviratne stood up again and said: “Rathnayake targeted me and called me the daughter of a murderer. He pointed his finger at me and said ‘the murderer's daughter.’” However, she too was not allowed to complete her statement. The Speaker said in response, “Your name was not mentioned.”




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