Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa says the government is trying to usher in an era of dictatorship that violates human rights by imposing a state of emergency under the guise of controlling the epidemic.
He says the government has promulgated the Public Security Act to cover up the failure due to wrong economic policies and corruption.
“Will the emergency increase the number of vaccines, reduce the number of infections and reduce the number of deaths? He is questioning the government in a video statement.
“The government is trying to destroy the democratic rights and somehow manage to suppress the opposition who hold alternative views in this country. This is a try to usher an era of dictatorship that violates human rights by bringing in the state of emergency ” he stated.
He also pointed out that the provisions of the Disaster Management Act No. 13 of 2006 are adequate for the control of epidemics.
Saying that the country’s common law is sufficient to maintain the price control and distribute the essential food items, Sajith Premadasa says that the government’s plan is an attempt to hunt down people who are working for democracy.
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the Samagi Jana Balawega Ranjith Madduma Bandara had issued a statement stating that the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003 was sufficient to control the prices of goods.
The declaration of a state of emergency by the President is a barbaric move towards dictatorship.
The TNA had also strongly criticized the President for using repressive legislation without passing the draft law to draft a new common law on health care.
M. Sumanthiran has introduced the bill as a private member’s motion, which can be used to declare a public health status, to take special measures for public health and to deal with relevant matters.