By Norman Palihawadane

Public Security Minister Tiran Alles has called for a report on an incident involving Tamil National People’s Front leader MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and police officers in Jaffna.The Ministry of Public Security said it would report the facts to court today regarding the incident.The incident happened while MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam was meeting a group of people in Mardhan Karni Vadamarachchi East in Jaffna last Friday.The MP told the media that some individuals who arrived there identifying themselves as police intelligence officers threatened and attacked him. One of them pulled out a pistol and threatened to kill him, the MP said. Denying his allegation, the police have said he had turned aggressive and scolded them.

By Rathindra Kuruwita

All laws introduced by the incumbent government were aimed at weakening democracy, Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), Pubudu Jayagoda said yesterday in Colombo, citing as examples the Bureau of Rehabilitation Bill, the Central Bank Bill, and theAnti-Terrorism Bill. They contained provisions inconsistent with the Constitution, he said.

The Rehabilitation Bill had 92 sections which ran counter to the Constitution, he said.

“The Central Bank Bill has 43 sections inconsistent with the Constitution, according to the judiciary. The Anti-Terrorism Bill is violative of the Constitution, and the government had to put it on hold due to public protests,” Jayagoda said.

The government had apparently got cold feet on the Broadcasting Regulatory Commission Bill due to protests, Jayagoda said.On 16 August 2022, a committee was established to formulate a draft bill on the Commission. It comprised academics, experts in the field, and heads of media institutions.

On 22 September, the Cabinet announced that a ministerial subcommittee had been established to set up the commission. The subcommittee was to be headed by the Minister of Justice.

On 26 May 2023, the Opposition MPs questioned the Secretary to the Media Ministry on the proposed law during a parliamentary consultative committee and the latter told the former the Bill had been drafted. Following that meeting, MPs and representatives of the media were given copies of the Bill.

“The Ministry was planning to release the draft law to the public on 07 June. However, due to public outrage, the government on 04 June said that it had no intention of establishing such a Commission,” he said.

JVP-led NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called on people not to be distracted by the ongoing circuses from the burning issues affecting their lives.

Addressing an NPP rally, in Mihintale, last week, Dissanayake said: “The President seems to think that he can govern the country with the help of circuses and other such gimmicks. He spent a huge amount of public funds on the Independence Day celebrations despite protests. Then there were Sinhala Tamil New Year shows, and the Vesak and Poson pandals. Now, he is getting ready to put up a mega military tattoo in August. In the meantime, the state media claims that the economy is thriving and the rupee is rallying steadily against the US dollar. The rupee appreciation is due to a drop in the demand for the dollars more than anything else, and the government is trying to deceive the public.

“People are starving. They are without medicine. The education sector is in crisis. Unemployment rate is on the increase. But the President is busy putting up shows.”