By Shamindra Ferdinando

Dissident SLPP MP Prof. G. L. Peiris, yesterday (04) said that the ongoing attempts by the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government to suppress the Opposition had attracted the attention of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Referring to the recent declaration made by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the 55th session of the HRC, the former External Affairs Minister said that regardless of what the state controlled media reported, the UN had issued a very clear warning over the brazen manipulation of parliamentary process to intimidate the Opposition.

Addressing the media at his residence at Kirula Road, Prof. Peiris dealt with the Opposition decision to move a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena over the authorisation of the Online Safety Act, sans mandatory Supreme Court recommendations, the Speaker’s controversial role in the appointment of Deshabandu Tennakoon as the IGP and preposterous salary increase granted to CBSL employees.

Declaring that the Opposition would hand over its NCM today (05), Prof. Peiris said that Volker Türk expressed concern over the introduction of laws with potentially far-reaching impact on fundamental rights and freedoms, the rule of law and democratic governance. Prof. Peiris quoted the UN official as having said these included the Online Safety Act, the Anti-Terrorism Bill, the Electronic Media Broadcasting Authority Bill and the NGO Supervision and Registration Bill.

The UN official also questioned the new IGP’s appointment in spite of the Supreme Court’s finding that he was responsible for torture of an individual in 2010.

Prof. Peiris said that contrary to earlier reports regarding the vote at the Constitutional Council in respect of the IGP’s appointment, the Opposition could now confirm that Speaker Abeywardena never exercised his right to vote at the CC but in a letter addressed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared his support to Deshabandu’s appointment.

Pointing out that the Speaker as Chairman of the Constitutional Council couldn’t, under any circumstances, either support or oppose a particular proposal in a letter to a third party, Prof. Peiris alleged that the Galle District MP had turned the Parliament upside down.

The former minister said that there had never been a NCM move against a Speaker since Sri Lanka gained independence. “We had no option but to take action against him to prevent the government repeating the same strategy in respect of the Anti-Terrorism Bill,” Prof. Peiris said, adding that the Opposition was united on this particular issue. The retired top law academic explained that manipulation of the Constitutional Council was a very serious matter, as bad as the disregarding of SC recommendations in respect of the Online Safety Bill.

He alleged that the government was busy undermining the parliamentary system. Though there had been issues with regard to passage of laws previously, the Parliament never witnessed such an outright manipulation, Prof. Peiris said, pointing out that the Speaker chose to conveniently remain silent even after the Human Rights Council, in a letter dated Feb 8, pointed out glaring omissions.