Maximum security provided to SLMC MPs - Jeyaraj

Uditha KUMARASINGHE, Irangika RANGE and Sandasen MARASINGHE

Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told Parliament that maximum security has been provided to Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader Rauff Hakeem and three others of the party who sat with the Opposition on Wednesday.

He made this observation when Hakeem stated that the security that he was given earlier was reduced since Wednesday evening, raising a Parliamentary privilege matter. Fernandopulle said that MP Hakeem was given the security that should be given to a party leader while the other three members Hasan Ali, Bashir Segudawood and Faizar Kasim were provided with security given to an ordinary Member of Parliament.

Fernandopulle stated that the STF refused to give security to Hakeem on an earlier occasion when he alleged the STF was responsible for the murder incident at Pothuvil and said he had no trust in the STF.

He also said Rauff Hakeem was given the special security when he was a Minister but at the moment he was an ordinary Member of Parliament and he is given to the maximum security given to a Member of Parliament.

Rauff Hakeem raising the privilege matter said that his and other three SLMC members' privileges were violated when their security was reduced.

He also said that the MPs in North and East are provided with a security stronger than of others but when reducing their security, that fact was not considered.

When I made a request last year to hold an investigation into the murder incident in Pothuvil the STF refused to provide security. Even when I joined the Government and assumed duty as a Minister, the Government did not take steps to provide me STF security.

He requested the Speaker to provide him and other three Members of Parliament who sat with the Opposition the necessary security.