Tabling the anti-terrorism bill in parliament has been postponed, said minister of justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.
The decision has been taken in view of the requests made by MPs, lawyers and civil society organizations with regard to the draft bill, he said.
Accordingly, it will likely be presented to parliament at the end of April.
There is opposition to the draft bill as being antidemocratic.
The Sri Lankan Government published its new Anti-Corruption Bill via a gazette.
The Bill was published by order of the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms.
The gazette states that the bill is being introduced to give effect to certain provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and other Internationally recognized norms, standards, and best practices; to provide for the establishment of an Independent Commission to detect and investigate allegations of Bribery, Corruption and offences related to the declaration of assets and liabilities and associated offences, and to direct the institution of and institute prosecutions for offences of Bribery, Corruption and offences related to the declaration of assets and liabilities and other associated offences; to promote and advance the prevention of corrupt practices; to educate and raise awareness amongst the public to combat Corruption; to repeal the Bribery Act (Chapter 26), the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption Act, No. 19 of 1994 and the declaration of assets and liabilities Law, No. 1 of 1975 and for matters related to bribery and corruption.
The Civil Society Collective for Protecting the Franchise has sought the support of Diplomatic Missions with regard to their call to hold the 2023 Local Government (LG) election on time, in a bid to protect democracy.
Issuing a statement in this regard, the collective highlighted that failing to hold the LG polls in a timely manner would have serious implications for democracy and governance.
“It would mean that the constitutional right to elect representatives at the local level would be compromised. It will set a dangerous precedent and impair the democratic process”, the statement read.
They further explained that not holding the election using a lack of finances as an excuse could ‘open the door for using such flimsy pretexts for postponing Parliamentary and Presidential elections’, highlighting that this practice , if allowed, will wrongly incentivize leaders who are inclined to not hold elections till it is beneficial for them.
Further emphasszing the adverse effects the postponement of the LG polls has had not only on the country’s democracy but also on its institutions, the Civil Society Collective for Protecting the Franchise called upon Sri Lanka’s international partners to closely monitor the situation, and to ensure that the election is held in a timely manner.
They also urged these international institutions to highlight the importance of an election for the country’s stability and economic recovery.
“It is critical to remain steadfast in advocating for the elections to be held on schedule, and to ensure that the government adheres to the established legal framework. This will serve to preserve the democratic principles upon which Sri Lankan society is founded and to safeguard the right to elect our representatives”, the collective said in this regard.
Below is the relevant statement issued by the Civil Society Collective for Protecting the Franchise;
Several Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs are willing to support President Ranil Wickremesinghe and will do so as a group if the party fails to take a decision, SJB MP Rajitha Senaratne said today.
“MPs like Harsha de Silva are willing to support President Wickremesinghe no matter what anyone says. We will support the President as a group if the party fails to make a decision,” the MP said responding to a question raised by journalists at a media briefing.
“Many want to work with the President but are a bit reluctant to contest an election with him,” he added.
“There are no policy differences between President Wickremesinghe and the SJB. SJBers went separately not because there were policy differences but because they were not happy about his decision making style,” he added.
Also, he said the notion that the President has put the country to a better position is a reality.
Senaratne further said that he had discussions with the President especially on the health sector crisis. The President had promised to do whatever that should be done to correct it.
Referring to the proposed Counter Terrorism Bill, the MP said there are positive aspects about the legislation but stressed that some amendments have to be made. Citing an example he said the definition of terrorism in the Bill has to be amended.
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has raised concerns that the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill poses to threaten the fundamental rights of the public.
Issuing a press release in this regard, the HRCSL explained that by way of the broad definition given to the term ‘terrorism’ in the newly proposed Bill, it stands to potentially violate the fundamental rights of the people, as it makes it difficult to distinguish an actual act of terrorism from a legitimate protest.
Speaking in this regard, Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thero stated that there is a risk of parts of their sermons being misinterpreted as support shown towards terrorist activities.
“What if they take certain parts of our sermons, and decide that we are preaching these in an attempt to support terrorist activities? Sometimes we even criticise political structures in our sermons”, he said in this regard.
Meanwhile, Minister of Justuce Wijeyadasa Rajapaskhe stated today (06 April) that it has been decided to postpone tabling the Anti-Terrorism Bill in the parliament, considering the requests made by the members of the opposition, attorneys and civil society activists.
More details are emerging about an incident in which an armed bodyguard of an affluent Buddhist monk has threatened Muslim and Tamil people who had been protesting against land grabbing in Pulmoddai, Trincomalee.
The Buddhist monk in question is Panamure Thilakawansa Nayaka Thera, a frontline member of the task force appointed by ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to manage archeological heritage in the eastern province.
He is also chief Sangha Nayake of north, east and Thamankaduwa and chief incumbent at Asirimale Aranya Senasana.
On April 01, people were opposing a land grab attempt by monks and archaeology officials at Ponmalaikuda, where a coastal farming land used by Tamils and Muslims was to be taken over for a Buddhist construction.
The group of nearly 30 was escorted by Army, police and civilian bodyguards, just two days after a similar attempt failed.
Community leader Mohamed Saibuddeen told a soldier who was digging the earth that the land was taken over by monks secretly on a 99-year lease, without any agreement by area residents.
He also said that as per a gazette notification issued by the commissioner general of lands, they had raised objections within six weeks.
As was caught on video, the soldier admitted he was unaware of the owners of the land, and that he had brought a team to obey an order only, without saying from whom the order had come.
Saibuddeen replied by issuing a challenge to the ‘Mahanuwara Maha Nikaya’ to visit the location and tell the media that what the monks was doing is correct, and said if that was done, they would not claim not an inch of the land.
Tamil and Muslim farmers of Thethavaditivu, Ponmalaikuda, Arisimalai and Shaba Nagar say they have been farming in the land for several years, while area fishermen too, use it to take a rest from their livelihood.
A fence surrounding a plot was damaged when Panamure Thilakawansa Nayaka Thera’s brother, identified as Sampath, drove a vehicle into the land.
When people raised objections, a PSD bodyguard of the monk threatened them at gunpoint.
He backed down when challenged to fire at them.
Issuing a statement regarding the recently gazetted ‘Anti Terrorism Bill’, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) today announced that it would not hesitate to challenge any bill that would deem to undermine the Rule of Law and the Liberty of the Citizen in the country.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) observed that the Government published an ‘Anti Terrorism Bill’, on the 22nd of March 2023.
This Bill seeks to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and introduce an Anti-Terrorism Act. The BASL is of the view that no legislation should be introduced to curtail and suppress, directly or indirectly the fundamental rights of citizens, enshrined in the Constitution and that this Bill if passed into law will have far reaching effects.
The BASL stated that the Bill has been published in the Gazette without adequate consultations with the relevant stakeholders including the BASL.
Therefore, the BASL urges the Government to consider to defer the Bill until there is a wider stakeholder consultation and the concerns of stakeholders including the BASL are taken into account. This statement had been issued by BASL President Kaushalya Nawaratne and its Secretary Isuru Balapatabendi.
The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) annual flagship economic publication, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2023, forecasts Sri Lanka’s economy to contract further in 2023 before it begins a gradual recovery in 2024, as the country navigates an unprecedented economic crisis.
The economy contracted by 7.8% in 2022 and is forecast to contract by 3% in 2023 as it continues to grapple with the challenge of debt restructuring and balance of payments difficulties.
Reform measures, such as the reversal of the tax cuts of 2019, and the recent approval of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility arrangement will support the country’s efforts to stabilize its economy.
Sri Lanka’s recovery from the crisis hinges on timely progress on debt relief and steadfast implementation of reforms.
Sri Lanka entered the crisis on a weak footing as pre-pandemic macroeconomic vulnerabilities, policy missteps, and shocks left the country with thin buffers on the eve of the pandemic.
In 2022, foreign currency scarcity led to shortages of essentials and triggered an acute energy crisis with prolonged power cuts and transport bottlenecks due to lack of fuel, which Sri Lanka needs to import. Inflation soared and eroded living standards, pushing many into poverty. The economic crisis has impacted the poor and vulnerable disproportionally.
“Sri Lanka has a long road to recovery, and it will be critical to ensure the poor and vulnerable are protected,” said Deputy Country Director for Sri Lanka Utsav Kumar. “It is imperative that the country address the root causes of internal and external imbalances, for which an unwavering commitment to reforms is essential.”
The needed reforms include enhancing domestic resource mobilization, improving the performance of state-owned enterprises to reduce their fiscal burden, strengthening public financial management, and encouraging private sector activities through harmonizing trade and investment policies. Improving governance and accountability mechanisms, such as strengthening anticorruption legislation, building strong institutions, and increasing transparency, will also be essential to address Sri Lanka’s economic vulnerability.
Amidst talks about a snap presidential election, former Election Commission’s Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said yesterday that, in his opinion, such an election could be conducted only during the latter part of next year.
According to the Constitution, the President can, at any time after the expiration of four years from the commencement of his first term of office, declare a presidential election to seek a fresh mandate. This has fueled speculation that a presidential election will be conducted later this year after the completion of four years of the current presidential term.
However, Mr. Deshapriya said the current president had been elected by Parliament only to serve the unexpired term of the ongoing presidential term after the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Making his remarks to Daily Mirror, Mr. Deshapriya said, “After resignation of the elected president, the succeeding president has to serve the rest of the period. He cannot go for a snap election according to my view. Still, there is another argument put forward by some legal luminaries that even the succeeding president has such authority to declare a presidential election after four years. The Supreme Court has to be moved to get the correct interpretation.” the current president had been elected by Parliament only to serve the unexpired term of the ongoing presidential term after the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
A majority of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs are of the view that Ranil Wickremesinghe should be the next president, SLPP MP and Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said.
Speaking during a talk show, the Minister stated that the matter has been discussed among various party members.
Stating that it is unsure as to what election will be held next, Minister Wijesekera said that the SLPP will take a suitable decision at the time of an election.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Guanwardena told the media today that no proposal has been made by the SLPP so far about Ranil Wickremesinghe being nominated as the party’s next Presidential candidate.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe through his recent actions has won over the people as the most suitable person to carry out the revival of the country, he said.
He further stated that the priority of the public and the SLPP at present is to revive and develop the nation.
Minister Bandula Gunawardena added, “As we can see the country has currently moved to a stable position.”
