In an interesting turn of events, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa said justice was not meted out to him during the Cabinet reshuffle in 2005 – which took place soon after President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ascension to power.

Speaker Rajapaksa, who is the elder brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, addressing a meeting in Galle yesterday said, he was given a non-cabinet ministerial post in 2005- to overlook the agricultural sector.

“I was again given the Ministry of Irrigation without the Mahaweli development sector. When I asked about it, I was told that it was given to Maithripala Sirisena as he wanted it. But, Mahaweli development sector was always under the Ministry of Irrigation” the Speaker said. Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and former Minister Maithripala Sirisena were first elected to Parliament at the general election of 1989.

“From that point of view, I also had to deal with injustice. Positions and titles are not important as long as your main objective is to serve the people of the country” he added. He made these remarks responding to the allegations that certain ministers have not been meted out justice under the present government.

It was earlier revealed that Chamal Rajapaksa did not want to be appointed as the Speaker of Parliament as he preferred a Cabinet portfolio. However, he finally decided to accept the position at the insistence of his family. It was also rumoured that the Speaker was planning to retire from active politics following term of the present Parliament. 

In his speech however, the Speaker did not make any comment on rumours about his retirement.