Gaddafi, great leader of Arab world – A H M Azwer

A H M Azwer MP made a condolence speech in Parliament mourning the death of Libyan Leader colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The text of the speech:

Presiding Member, as I begin, I have to perform a painful act – that is, we are deeply mourning the death of Colonel Muammar Al Gaddafi, the leader of the Libyan Jamahiriya. He was a great leader of the Arab world.

A H M Azwer MP

He united the African countries, helped form the Union of the African Countries and was responsible in ushering a new era in the Middle East. Why should he face this tragic end? He ruled his country for 42 years. That is his country.

Colonel Gaddafi came to Sri Lanka in 1976 to attend the Non-aligned Conference. He was accommodated at Acland House - “Visumpaya”, the present official residence of D M Jayaratne, the Prime Minister. He was a very charismatic figure. People all over the world received his benevolence. Sir, today we see a superpower invading a Third World country and killing its leader.

What a tragedy! Where is the human conscience? Where is civilization hidden? I would ask only this. Allahu tha-ala has never ill-abdicated His powers to anybody else in this world.

Therefore, this is a tragedy. The so-called superpower did the same thing to Saddam Hussein. They made use of Saddam Hussein against Iran. In Afghanistan, they dismembered the country. How long is this going to prolong? In order to fight this tyranny, the world has to wake up.

In order to hide their nakedness, the catastrophe they are facing internally, economically, America and other Western countries resort to bully Third World countries.

Therefore, they are doing this for oil, to lure oil. We must also look very cautious about the whole thing. Therefore, I on behalf of our Members in Parliament and the Muslim community, say according to the Islamic rites, Innalillahi wainnailaihi rajioon.

Free thinking people live freely. The Charter of United Nations is very clear – Non – interference in the affairs of other nations. Why do you want to make a breach of that principle where the Third World countries are concerned.

Is what we see a civilized world? When you are fallen, your brain is taken out of your body and the dead body is shamelessly drawn in the street. They were kicking the body and dismembering that body.

I would ask these people, these so-called superpowers to learn a lesson, a civilized act of our King Dutugemunu. When the victor was King Dutugemunu and the vanquished was King Elara, what did Dutugemunu do? He built a “kotha” - memorial for Elara – and told all his Sinhalese brethren passing that way to pay their respect to Elara’s tomb. That is the civilization and the culture that a Sri Lankan had taught the world over the ages, Sir. Let the West take a lesson from our own culture and civilization.

Sir, I wanted to tell the Hon. Sampathan, please invite the so-called diaspora to witness this mad scene here.

The way the TNA Members are behaving today in this House is condemnable. I have been associating with persons like Thanthai S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, Vanniyasingam, Dr. Naganathan, V.N. Navaratnam, K.P. Ratnam, Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam, M. Sivasithambaram, Dharmalingam, Yogeswaran, Rajavarothayam, C. Rajathurai, Rasamanikkam, Thangathurai, Kadiraveluppillai and others of that calibre.

The TNA do not want development. They want some other things in the North. See the development work taking place in the North. Never in the history of this country, in so short a period, so much of development work had been done in the Northern Province.

This government is doing this now. It is only the other day the programme. “Udagirata Randiyawara” “Batticaloa water supply project ceremonially opened by President, Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was initiated by Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Water Supply and Drainage in the presence of so many distinguished leaders, including Sivanesathurai Chndrakanthan, the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province along with the Vinayagamoorthi Muralidaran.

The other one is this, Sir, see the bridges that were declared open. Upparu new bridge was constructed instead of the Upparu old bridge in the Eastern Province. Including Yan-Oya, five bridges were constructed and declared open by none other than the President of this country by visiting that area.

Sir, I have to mention one other matter in this House. It is about N.M.C. Thilakarathne, the Librarian of Parliament. He is a long serving officer in Parliament and a very good librarian. He joined the service in 1984 and he is serving up to this day. Before we meet again on the November 08, 2011, he is retiring.

He has been very helpful to us. Whenever I wanted a copy of the Erskine May or some other constitutional or legal enactment, he always made it sure that they were readily available. I would like to take this opportunity in this House to wish Thilakarathne good luck in the future, and a happy retired life.

The Leader of the Opposition was fighting the devil. When he was speaking in the morning. I told him, by way of a point of Order, that he can go with A.J.M. Muzammil to the Town Hall. He can do it very well according to the Gazette No. 1717/13 of August 2, whereby the MC will be reconstituted to meet on November 1,2011.

There is no point in wasting time with the Leader of the Opposition. He can very well go with his new mayor, A.J.M. Muzammil, who is going to take over from Omar Kamil, the Special Commissioner and sit in the mayoral seat on November 1. We also wish him success in his office because he is already in touch with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to develop the city.