Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of preparing two pieces of security legislation that he says would narrow democratic rights, telling supporters the laws could be turned against freedom of speech, assembly and expression of opinion.
Premadasa named the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill and the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill. He argued that the definition of terrorism in the first has been drawn too broadly, and that the powers it hands the executive over detention orders are too wide.
His sharpest objection concerned the organised crime bill. Premadasa said it leaves room for people to be identified as criminals on the basis of hairstyles, clothing and tattoos — markers of appearance rather than evidence of an offence.
The remarks were made in the Polonnaruwa district, at Sri Shakya Munindraramaya temple in Pahala Ambagaswewa, Ambagaswewa ward of the Medirigiriya seat, where the Opposition Leader handed over 100 bags of cement for temple development work.
Both bills are already under legal and civil-society challenge. Several petitions contesting the constitutionality of the organised crime bill have been filed in the Supreme Court, and the election monitor PAFFREL wrote to the President this week raising provision-by-provision concerns about both.
Premadasa also turned to the economy, saying the government had not delivered on promised fuel and electricity relief. He said fuel queues had appeared in some districts and warned that electricity bills could rise again despite pledges to cut them. He listed factory closures, lost income streams and rising prices among problems he said remain unaddressed — a line that sits against the President’s statement the same week that taxes will be reduced in the coming budget.
On paddy, he said the Agriculture Minister puts the cost of producing a kilo at Rs. 137 while the government’s guaranteed price is Rs. 120, leaving farmers Rs. 17 short on every kilo.
Premadasa closed on religion, saying the Constitution requires that Buddhism be given the foremost place while other faiths are properly protected. Removing or conferring the robe of a Buddhist monk, he said, is not a task for lay people but a responsibility of the Maha Sangha and religious leaders, and the government should have shown more foresight on the matter.
Not reported: The filing carries no government response to any of these claims, and does not say when either bill is expected to be taken up in Parliament.