News
Eran compares present govt. with Hitler’s rule
By Saman Indrajith
The main opposition SJB on Monday claimed that the country was sliding fast towards authoritarianism.
SJB MP Eran Wickremeratne told Parliament that the government resorted to excessive control of the people through gazette rule. “This is a sign of authoritarianism. Rule by gazette was the principal tool used by Hitler to set up a dictatorship in Germany. Hitler lost his parliamentary majority in 1933, and thereafter he resorted to full scale gazette rule. Those are the lessons that we should learn from history. In 1933 Adolf Hitler passed the laws to legitimise his rule by gazettes. Thereafter, he bypassed Parliament and became a law unto himself,” MP Wickremeratne said while participating in the debate on Presidential proclamation on emergency.
MP Wickremaratne demanded to know the link between emergency and food shortages. He said if there were hidden stocks as claimed by the government there were provisions in the Consumer Affairs Authority itself to use. The Disaster Management Act No 13 of 2005 could also be used.
“No President should be given more powers than are needed to execute his responsibilities,” he said.
“What is the necessity for the President to proclaim a State of Emergency under the Public Security Ordinance to further consolidate his power? What purpose is he trying to accomplish? Through these emergency proclamations the President has the power to suspend civil liberties, arrest and detain any citizen without a court order, suspend laws of the country, enter any premises without a court order and seize privately owned property,” the SJB MP said.
Members of the Civil Security Department have donated a day’s salary to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by cyclone Ditwah.
Accordingly, a cheque amounting to Rs. 40,870,686 was handed over on Thursday (22) at the Presidential Secretariat by the District Officer of the Civil Security Department G.Y.B. Perera to Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security Ravi Seneviratne and Director General of the Civil Security Department, Major General Palitha Fernando (Retired), were also present on the occasion.
The Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) has contributed LKR 25 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund.
The cheque was handed over to the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake by the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeyesekera, the Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Senior Vice Chairman Kusal Nissanka at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
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