Govt. would never use emergency regulations to suppress basic rights: Co-Cabinet Spokesman

13 September 2021 08:36 am Views - 124

• Public Security Ordinance’ (PSO) has been enacted to strengthen the Covid 19 management, facilitate the vaccination programme and to provide relief to the poorest of poor Sri Lankans affected by the pandemic
• The imposition of emergency regulations has shown positive results with prices of essential commodities such as rice, sugar, dhal and others have come down in the domestic market

By Sandun A Jayasekera

Government spokesman, Plantation Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana gave a firm undertaking and said the government under no circumstances would use Emergency Regulations’ to suppress the basic rights or fundamental rights such as media freedom and trade union activities. 

Minister Pathirana added that the ‘Public Security Ordinance’ (PSO) has been enacted to strengthen the Covid 19 management, facilitate the vaccination programme and to provide relief to the poorest of poor Sri Lankans who have been severely affected by the pandemic.

“We have no intention what so ever to use emergency regulations to attack peaceful protests, speech or thoughts. We would never suppress the media or trade union activities either,’ he stressed.

Minister Pathirana said the imposition of emergency regulations has shown positive results with prices of essential commodities such as rice, sugar, dhal and others have come down in the domestic market.  
“Anti - pandemic drive - the country wide lockdown - and the price stabilization measures introduced in the domestic market  have already shown positive results. The government would not keep emergency regulations in force a day more than necessary”, he said.

The action taken by the government to raid big hoarders of sugar and rice and distribute them at affordable prices among the public would not be possible under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act or Consumer Protection Act alone and that was why the government resorted to activate the PSO, Minister Pathirana emphasized.

 “My expectation is that we would be in a position to learn the full impact of the lockdown within the next two weeks or so. The immunization programme is continuing round the country during the lockdown. The Health Ministry with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Army has fully immunized about 55 % of those over 60 years of age and 45% of all of those above 30 years of age. Our target is to inoculate the entire population over 30 years of age against the pandemic by end of October,” Minister Dr. Pathirana stressed.