NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (8) likened the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government to a group of Somali pirates who had captured a ship.
Moving a motion for debate during the adjournment of the House, Dissanayake said the Government should hold Local Authorities Elections by 20 March 2023.
“What we have today is not a government of people’s mandate. If you really care about the people’s mandate, the Government should hold elections. We hope the National Elections Commission will hold elections on time without being trapped by various snares set by the Government to postpone elections. We also tell former Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya that all know that the Government is trying to delay the elections by raising an issue of delimitation and ask him not to be complicit in this crime of depriving people of their franchise,” Dissanayake said.
He said, the statistics made available to the public by government agencies, international organisations, as well as the media showed a very dangerous situation. As per the latest UNICEF report, 5.7 million people including 2.3 million children need immediate humanitarian assistance.
He said, history shows that governments that choose suppression as their mode of governance had been consigned to the dustbin by people. “We demand the Government to tell the world for what reason they are detaining Inter University Students’ Federation Convenor Wasantha Mudalige and Inter University Bhikkhu Federation Convenor Ven. Galewela Siridhamma Thera.”
“This suppression by the Government against people will further isolate us in the international community. There is massive social unrest owing to poverty and the Government’s inability to solve the unemployment crisis. In the face of uprisings, people’s anger, and protests, the Government continues to appoint ministers and make use of suppression to hold onto power and keep on stealing. Our country being held by this makeshift government is akin to a ship held by a group of Somali pirates,” Dissanayake said.
By Gagani Weerakoon and Aloka Kasturiarachchi (Ceylon Today)
