By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): At this moment, many problems have arisen in the country, in the backdrop of bringing several bills including Broadcasting Authority bill and the Anti-Corruption bill by the government said Mr Eran Wickramaratne, M.P. addressing the media at the Office of the Leader of Opposition in Colombo today.
The Broadcasting Authority Act is also problematic. The Supreme Court has determined that several clauses of the anti-corruption bill are inconsistence with the constitution. Doubts arise whether this bill was prepared by a few private lawyers to meet the expectations of the government. Generally, if a bill is drafted by the Legal Draftsmen officers, there is no possibility to include so many clauses that are inconsistence with the Constitution.
Also, on the privatization of Sri Lanka Telecom, there is a debate within the government that there is a threat to national security. A bill to establish a budget office in parliament, is also being brought. While the government is introducing various anti- democratic anti -people bills, it is also creating problems of race and religion. Said Mr. Eran Wickramaratne
Since Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa became the President in 2019, he went on reversing the Gazette and as a result the state revenue was reduced by one third. His successor President comes and reverses other laws and Legislations.
He said that if gazettes and laws are reversed based on necessity, there should be a dialogue in the country before that. The MP emphasized that the people are waiting for the best laws to eliminate corruption and fraud because the people are tired of corruption, theft and fraud in this country. This country went bankrupt for the first time under the leaders of the present regime. The parties responsible for it, are trying to bring these laws. People have to wonder why this group that destroyed the country is manipulating the things again.
Those who say people will forget everything in two weeks, created queues for oil, cut off electricity for 12 hours, raised inflation to sky-high say that Pohottuwa will return to power and a Rajapakse will become President. Are they thinking that the people could be deceived again? But Mr. Wickramaratne said that the people will never forget the destruction caused by the Rajapaksa government.
After the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a loan of 2.9 billion dollars, and the government drafts anti-corruption laws only according to the IMF’s agenda regarding corruption and fraud in the country, the country does not benefit from those legislations. He said that with the IMF, there is a deal, and there are two sides to it. Accordingly, if we adopt methods that suit the country, we can convince them about our methods of adopting laws.
When going to the discussion on an amendment of the agreement with the IMF next September, the tax free limit imposed on the working people should be raised to two hundred thousand from the current one hundred thousand rupees.
Meanwhile, in the local debt restructuring, Mr. Eran Wickramaratne stressed that in the background of economic contraction, it is the responsibility of the government to be on a firm decision not to include a Hair Cut on the deposit money when domestic debt restructuring is proposed, which creates a risk of bankrupting the banking system in Sri Lanka.
