By Saman Indrajith

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Tuesday (08) that there was no difference between the incumbent government and the Somalian pirates.

Moving a motion for the debate at the time of the adjournment of the House, Dissanayake said the government should hold elections to the local government bodies by March 20, 2023. “The government does not have a popular mandate. If the government has any respect for the popular will, the government should hold elections. We hope the Election Commission will hold the elections on time without falling for various ruses. We also tell former Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya the government is trying to delay the elections by making an issue of delimitation process and ask him not to be complicit in this crime of depriving people of their franchise,” Dissanayake said.

“Statistics made available to the public by government agencies, international organisations as well as the media pointed to a very dangerous situation. As per a latest UNICEF report, 5.7 million people including 2.3 million children need immediate humanitarian assistance.”

Dissanayake said that the history had shown that the governments that resorted to oppression to consolidate their hold on power ended up in the political dustbin. “We urge the government to tell the world why and for what purpose they are detaining Inter University Students Federation Convenor Wasantha Mudalige and Inter University Bhikkhu Federation Convenor Ven. Siridhamma thera.

“This suppression by the government of the people will further isolate us internationally. Social unrest is on the rise owing to poverty and the government’s inability to solve burning issues such as unemployement. In the face of rising anger and protests by the people, the government continues to appoint ministers and make use of suppression to hold on to power and keep on stealing. The country with a bunch of crooks at the helm is like a ship held by the Somalian pirates.”