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Govt. bringing in new laws to suppress democratic dissent – SJB
SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara yesterday said that the government was all out to bring in the Anti-Terrorism Bill and the Online Safety Bill to use them against its political opponents at future elections.
Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo, Madduma Bandara said that both those new legislations were draconian laws that curbed the people’s democratic rights and freedoms. “The government and the Speaker rushed the Online Safety Bill through Parliament neglecting the Supreme Court guidelines to amend them. No Speaker overlooked Supreme Court determinations in the past,” Madduma Bandara said.
“The Anti-Terrorism Bill contains many draconian regulations. For example, as per the clauses in this bill, any person could be taken into custody without permission from a court of law and detained indefinitely. The Bill seeks to grant judicial powers to the DIGs. As per the Bill, the Defence Secretary has many discretionary powers. A secretary to the Ministry of Defence is a political appointment. It is anybody’s guess what will happen to democratic freedoms and rights when a political appointee is given discretionary powers to hold a person in detention,” Madduma Bandara said.
Former MP Hirunika Premachandra also addressed the press.
Approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 22.07.2024 to publish the draft bill of State Assets Management Act in the government gazette notification and thereby present it to the Parliament for its concurrence.
However, the draft bill couldn’t be passed in Parliament as a result of the Parliament being dissolved in the month of October 2024.
Thereafter, the draft bill was subject to further inspection by a
committee appointed which comprised of officials and authorities on the subject.
The said Committee has recognized the amendments to be made and a fundamental draft has been prepared including the proposed amendments.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to suspend further activities regarding the draft bill of State Assets Management Act published in the extraordinary gazette of 02.08.2024, and to direct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill based on the fundamental draft prepared by the subject specialists’ committee.
Considering the compliance of the Cooperative Societies’ operations with the concurrent socio – economic circumstances as well as the changes in the common law, the requirement of amending the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 of 1972 has been recognized.
A fundamental draft including proposed amendments based on the experience gained by that Commission as well as the opinions and proposals of Cooperative societies, their director board members, cooperative employees and other interested parties has been prepared.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative development to provide instructions to the Legal draftsman to prepare a draft bill to amend the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 0f 1972, based on the said fundamental draft.
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