NPP News

At a press conference held on 22^nd Nov, the lawyers of the National People’s Power accused the police and the Attorney General’s Department of using the Prevention of Terrorism Act to lead the political process of the government.

Akalanka Ukwatta, Attorney-at-Law who participated in the press conference, pointed out this with facts, and his views are as follows.

Sovereign power cannot be relinquished from the people.  People took to the streets to protect that power. It was named as the “Aragalaya”. J.R Jayawardena came to implement righteous policies, by accomplishing the 1978 Constitution. From Mahinda Rajapaksa to this government, the same policies are being implemented.  Is the mistake made by Wasantha Mudalige and Siridhamma Thero to oppose the creation of a righteous government in this country?  Is that why he committed an act of terrorism by breaking the constitution and was detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and now remanded in custody?  Was the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1979 brought to curb those who work against creating a righteous society?  If Wasantha Mudalige and Siridhamma Thero have done such an act, it has also been done by the majority of people in this country.  There is no clear definition of terrorism in the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which is used to suppress people’s voices on burning issues.  It is used to trap innocent people. Was the Prevention of Terrorism Act used against people like Karuna Amman, who was in charge of the Eastern region of the LTTE, and Pilleyan?  Ranil Wickremesinghe had great criticism about KP from the opposition then.  Was the Prevention of Terrorism Act used against KP?  But during the period of the protest, did anyone see Wasantha Mudalige and Siridhamma Thero even holding a stone in their hands?  Can’t we question the fact that the government have stolen and exploited the things that we should get? A fundamental rights case was filed against these two who were under 90-day detention orders issued under the hand of the minister of Defence.  Ranil Rajapaksa has been remanded them for 14 days to 14 days without extending those detention orders.  Now, under the Attorney General, there is the ability to take actions on these two.  Although they were detained for 90 days, they were interrogated only for five hours in 03 days.  On all three occasions, Wasantha Mudalige questioned that what act of terrorism which he had committed.  There is no answer to that question.

All that time, the police have been questioning about the murder of the Member of Parliament in Nittambuwa, people entering the Presidential Palace, Temple trees, and Presidential Secretariat. Already there is a case related to murder charges in the Attanagalla court regarding the killing of the MP.  Cases have been filed separately in the Fort Magistrate’s Court regarding other charges. Why are these two being detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act when cases have already been filed in the courts of Attanagalla and Fort under the relevant charges of the Penal Code? Cases have been filed in the courts regarding matters not related to the Prevention of Terrorism Act.  All those charges are under the Penal Code.  If so, what will happen to the cases filed at Attanagalla and Fort courts under the Attorney General?  The Attorney General advises the police.  The Attorney General should be conscious about conducting police investigations for 90 days.  After 90 days, the investigations are not completed, which means that there is no other purpose other than harassment.  Now the Attorney General should submit the reasons for not granting bail to these two to the Magistrate Court.  The Attorney General is responsible to the Republic and the people of this country but not to the governments that are appointed from time to time.

Gotabaya Rajapakse came to power after taking the Easter attack in hand and the first thing he did was to arrest the lawyer Hizbullah and hold him under detention orders.  Has Mr. Hizbullah been made a respondent in the High Court case regarding Saharan?  No.  In that case, it is clear that a lie was made using the Prevention of Terrorism Act at that time as well.  Investigations that have been held for more than 90 days, has no results.  The Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General should be held responsible for that.  If history is like this regarding the issue of Saharan, the Attorney General has the scope to release Wasantha Mudalige and Siridhamma Thero.  We emphasize to the Attorney General to exercise his practice in this regard.

Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake demanded the Finance Ministry to reveal Sri Lanka’s actual outstanding debt.

Speaking during the second reading debate of Budget 2023, Dissanayake said according to the information they have, the total debt of the country is close to Rs 25 trillion.

“From this Budget, the President has proposed to borrow another Rs 3 trillion next year. In 2021, the total government income was Rs 1.464 trillion. However, to pay pensions and salaries and debt interest the country needed money exceeding this total income. We had to pay Rs 1.048 trillion as debt interest. This is 72 per cent of the total income. How can a country bear this type of burden?” he queried.

“Although both the President and the Central Bank Governor claim that the economy has stabilised to a certain extent, this isn’t entirely true. There was a severe fuel and essential commodity shortage in the first months of the year. Now it seems that the shortages have been resolved to a certain extent. But, what has actually happened is the authorities are using USD 3.2 million which was supposed to be used to pay off debts to import these essential items. We are still in a huge crisis,” he said. 

By Methmalie Dissanayake (Ceylon Today)

After Ranil Wickremesinghe became the eighth President, the National People’s Power (NPP) lawyers emphasize that the suppression of political opponents by using the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be defeated.

They emphasized this in a press conference held yesterday (22). The following is an excerpt of the views that the Colombo District Secretary of the organization, Dhanushki Liyanapatbandi, Attorney-at-Law, expressed at the meeting.

This press conference is being held as the lawyers of the NPP to present facts about repressive activities including arrests using the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The government continues to propagate that the country cannot be developed due to the struggle and that it is the cause of the existing problems. But in March 2020, the rulers did not take proper measures regarding the spread of the covid epidemic. They did not accept the advice of health experts. Necessary financial provisions were not deployed. The army was deployed and the repression started. Farmers’ uprising against the organic fertilizer policy, shortage of food, fuel and gas, shortage of milk powder and unlimited rise in commodity prices continued. Amidst all this, the Act regarding the Kotalawala Defense Faculty was passed. University students, lecturers and civil activists started protesting with all this. As another step, the protests that started in Mirihan on March 31 are still going on without a solution.

The Article 27 of the Constitution states as to how the public should be protected from state policies. Freedom to enjoy basic rights, equal opportunities for all citizens, development of the country, creation of a righteous system in the form of distribution of economic products to the entire population, and special attention to children and youth are mentioned. The government is entrusted with the full responsibility of taking care of children’s physical and mental development. But school students faint and fall. There is a state of decline in physical and mental development. University education is also not done properly. Industries are closing, and people are losing their jobs. The only solution in this situation is to take to the streets and fight fairly. We must defeat the attempt to launch repression against it.

“While Ranil is with a group of thieves, he cannot say he will put thieves in jail. Ranil’s budget statement boosts the corrupt,” says JVP leader Anura Dissanayake.
“The country cannot be saved only by punishing thieves and thugs. But we tell Ranil that he cannot even think of recovering the country without doing so,” he added.
“Ranil said in the budget speech that a country cannot be built only by punishing fraud and corruption. He cannot punish the corrupt or stop corruption because the camp where he is standing is extremely corrupt. Ranil Wickramasinghe is the leader of the team that plundered the central bank. The law was not implemented against it.
It is not surprising that such a statement came out of him because Ranil is also corrupt. But we admit that this fallen country cannot be recovered by punishing corruption and fraud alone. But a country cannot be built without stopping corruption and waste.
We propose to end these corruption scams under our rule as the first step. Economic and legal reforms will be carried out, punishing fraudsters and the corrupt. Ranil Wickramasinghe’s statement is a fraudulent statement to justify fraud and corruption. It is an excuse for corruption,” emphasized JVP Leader Anura Dissanayake.

– Lanka Truth

Members of Jananiyamu Kalakaruwo, affiliated to the JVP-led NPP has called on people not to resign themselves to living under an oppressive regime. They have said the public must fight for their rights and chase the dictatorial leaders away.

Addressing the media at the JVP Headquarters in Pelawatte on Friday (18), actor and senior lecturer at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts, Prasannajith Abeysuriya called on public not to give in to politicians who had no popular mandate to govern the country. “How long are we going to put up with this oppression? What sort of country are we going to leave for our children if we do not change this? We should not keep silent any longer. We must fight for a change.

Artiste Deepani Silva said that the 2023 Budget presented to Parliament by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as Minister of Finance had plunged the people from the frying pan into the fire. “What better can we expect from a person like him who has been a minister and prime minister from time to time? He has always been a key member of governments that ruined this country.

Lyricist Ravi Siriwardena, Drama and Theatre Lecturer of the Kelaniya University Sanjeewa Gunaratne and novelist Kamal Perera also addressed the media.
– The Island

“At one time, it was said that loss-making institutions could be sold and profits could be made. Now it is said to sell the profitable ones to increase the reserve. A government member says that he does not agree according to his conscience, but he has to vote for the budget. Their budget must be working sideways. These are the type of people in the parliament now. Ranil’s budget for next year says what happens in 2048. There is no talk about what will be done next year. They will take loans, print money or collect money from local banks. They are happy that the stomach is clean though the patient is dead,” says Sunil Handunnetthi, a member of the Economic Council of the National People’s Power.
He said this, addressing the conference “Tax to heaven – For whom is the budget?” held yesterday (17th) by the Economic Council of the National People’s Power at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.
For this conference, representing the Economic Council of the National People’s Power, Professor Sita Bandara of the Department of Economics of the University of Kelaniya, Professor Dayananda Ambalangodage of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Professor Anil Jayantha Fernando of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, former Member of Parliament Sunil Hadunnetthi, Shanta Jayaratne – former Senior Consultant Lecturer of the Sri Lanka Institute of Administration, Professor Janak Kumarasinghe of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and Chartered Accountant and Economic Analyst, Sunil Gamage were present. The comments made by NPP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunneththi are given below.
“Our topic is “Tax to heaven – Who is the budget for?” However, changing the topic to “Budget is in the sky, but the taxes are for the people would not make a difference.. This is not a people’s budget. However, the people have got a tax burden. Ranil’s story is completely up in the air. This budget does not even touch the reality and the problem on the ground. The 77th budget is a budget that has become a confession of the curse of 74 years. There is a certain political irony. Because Ranil Wickramasinghe, who is responsible for the curse of 74 years, himself presenting this budget is a kind of irony. Ranil says on the first page of the budget speech, “can we be satisfied with the situation in which our country is celebrating its 75th year after independence? Where did we go wrong, and where did we go wrong? Who says this? He was the first Minister of Youth Affairs, then Minister of Industries, he was six times Prime Minister, and now President. And he asks the people what happened. Most in his lifetime Ranil has eaten from Parliament; lived on people’s money. There are so many in the parliament like that. The majority of them in parliament is like that. They ask us who is at fault.
After that, they say that they need to make the right decisions, not popular decisions. Who said no? Wasn’t it Ranil who said to make the right decisions and not the popular decisions and promised youths bracelets? As Prime Minister, he cut down coconut trees, promising a Volkswagen factory. Now no Volkswagen, no coconut trees either. They said they would give a vehicle to those under the umbrella. Those who made those promises now say that people should make the right decisions.
They say there is no point in going into debt to others. It is said by those who dragged the country to a precipice. This is the economy that Surasena brought to the ‘Palingu Menike’. Didn’t government after government boast that they were getting more credit than the other? People who used to think of borrowing as pride are telling this story today. Ranil saying it won’t matter now. For, people have decided to throw out Ranil and Ranil’s policies. Even if Ranil says it standing on his head, it doesn’t matter. The people have made their decision and are waiting for an opportunity.
Read the budget speech from beginning to end and see what the right decisions are proposed to take without popular decisions. Is there a correct decision that solves the problems of the people of this country throughout this budget? This is the same old recipe. There is one thing that can be said from this budget. That is, there will be an election within the next 04 months. Because 20 billion have been set aside for the Samurdhi and adult allowances. However, the money will be charged back to the people themselves. 130 billion rupees has been minted the day before yesterday. Taxes are imposed. Not everyone who lives on their salaries can bear this tax burden. Now people who had high jobs have started to leave the country. This is an economy that drives away the educated in the country.
This budget has become one that has expanded expenditure to such an extent. Expenditure has been expanded to 7.5 trillion. It is indeed because the intention is to borrow. It is done to increase the credit limit. But how can the government borrow to cover the budget deficit? Because the debt is not paid now. They expect to borrow 2.3 billion dollars from abroad. Ranil should say before the end of the budget from which countries he will borrow.
Budget is an assumption. It should be realistic. People should be able to bear it. Now, what will happen if this budget deficit cannot be covered? You have to charge the people if you can’t get a loan. That means from the state banking system. In the past, they destroyed the banking system by taking loans from the local banking system for political decisions. It is going to be done now. As the Economic Council of the National People’s Power, we must say that if we continue in this way, what happened to America and Greece in 2008 will not be prevented from happening to Sri Lanka. Therefore, we need to protect our banking system. Because it is the backbone of the economy. Therefore, as our professor said, the field should be made so that the match can be played within the budget limits. But are there people to play the match even if the field is built? This match cannot be played with Ranil, Mahinda and Sajith. Therefore, we ask the people of our country to choose the best team to play the match.
When we come, we will show what we can do in 06 months. But don’t ask us to rebuild the country, which was destroyed for 74 years, in 06 months. But within those 06 months, fraud, corruption and waste will have been stopped. Did Ranil Come out with the right decisions instead of popular decisions in his budget? Did he say the expenses of the cabinet will be reduced, housing costs will be reduced, and the pension of MPs will be abolished? The budget that went to the sky would have weighed down a little if that were said. Defence spending has been increased. But we don’t know if they have money to spend.
Then Ranil says that it is a myth that corrupt people are imprisoned. Can Ranil call it a reality without saying that? What else can the person who destroyed the Central Bank say? Comrade Anura often says that one corrupt person does not punish another corrupt person. Now Ranil says don’t talk to me about corrupt people. We do not expect Ranil to punish the thieves.
After that, they talk about changing this economic system. They say they would create an open economic system of social security.
The people of this country cannot be deceived anymore. They have to accept defeat. Who is protected under this economy? Parents stay at school to protect their children. You can’t save your children from ice and drugs. Now they talk about the ‘Triloka Vijaya Patra’. If that happens, politicians will start the business. The best example is that politicians have the most bar permits in this country.
On the other hand, they are talking about selling. At one time, it was said that loss-making companies could be sold, and profits could be made. Now it is said to sell the profitable ones to increase the reserve.
A government member says that he does not agree according to his conscience, but he has to vote for the budget. These are the people who have come to the parliament. Ranil’s budget for next year talks of things to be done in 2048. There is no talk about what will be done next year. What will be done is take loans, or money will be minted. They would also take money from local banks and say even if the patient has died, his tummy is clean.
As such, this system should be changed. This corrupt political system must be changed. As the Economic Council of the National People’s Power, we are not only talking about this budget, we will also start this economic conversation with the people. Together with the people, we’ll have the power and energy to change this journey.”

– Lanka Truth