Emergency Regulations misleading; will vote against it - says AKD

COLOMBO (News 1st); Opposition Politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake said President's Declaration on Essential Services is misleading, as the necessary gazette was not issued as per the provisions of the Emergency Law.

"The executive power of the president, the legislative power of the parliament, the power of the judiciary to verify the actions of the law enforcers have been taken over by the President," he told reporters.

Dissanayake said the ruling faction is attempting to create an opinion among the people, where the people would believe that emergency regulations were imposed to counter malpractices.

However, this is not the reality, he said noting that the gazette notification on essential services was not issued under the state of emergency, but under Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act No. 1 of 1979.

He said the maximum price for rice which was imposed recently, also was issued as per the provisions of the emergency regulations.

"The President must explain himself for imposing emergency regulations under the pretext of controlling the prices of essential commodities," he said.

"This shows that he is a leader who can do nothing and that he suffers from a frenzy of regaining power over and over again," he added.

Dissanayake also went on to note that the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act No. 13 of 2005 has defined the disasters which include pandemics.

"The Pandemic is a disaster," he said while urging the President to act according to the provisions of the DMC Act.

"If the President gazettes it (Pandemic) as a disaster, the National Council for Disaster Management has the power to intervene," he added.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the President will never do this because a DMC fund would start releasing funds for disaster mitigation, while there will be no room for malpractices involving Antigen Test Kits, Medicinal Drugs as well as Quarantine.

"When the DMC fund is established, all the money from the Consolidated Fund, COVID Fund, the aid from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and a number of other countries, donations will be handled within this National Disaster Management Council," he added noting that such a council will not allow for malpractices.

He said the JVP will vote against the Emergency Regulations that will be taken up in Parliament on Monday (6).