JVP for Tunisia style option
6 November 2011 07:30 pm
The JVP yesterday stressed the need to use people’s power as in Tunisia and Egypt to pre-empt anti-democratic moves of the present government instead of using Parliament as the venue for it.
Addressing a hurriedly summoned news conference, JVP parliamentary group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the government that enjoyed overwhelming majorities of MPs had been toppled by the people’s power in some countries such as Tunisia.
Mr. Dissanayake said people’s power even compelled the government of Sri Lanka to withdraw the controversial bill to introduce a pension scheme for private sector employees.
“We have seen what happened in countries such as Tunisia and Egypt. In defeating anti-democratic acts, people’s power should be used as a tool instead of trying to do it through the manipulation of the number of MPs in the House, “he said.
Referring to the controversial Revival of Underperforming and Underutilised Assets Bill, he said that the government had no reason whatsoever to bring in this legislation as an urgent bill. He said the bill, if passed in Parliament, would empower the government to acquire any asset merely through a gazette notification.
“There are 37 ventures listed to be acquired under the provisions of this bill. Yet, the government has powers to acquire any other private venture by issuing a separate gazette notification under the bill. There is no methodology laid down in the bill either to determine whether the venture or the assets concerned are underperforming or underutilised,” he said.
Mr. Dissanayake said, “An individual who helms the affairs of this government can decide on it according to his own whims and fancies.
This is nothing but an attempt to intimidate businessmen who oppose the government. Hereafter, the government will pounce on entrepreneurs and investors who do not finance its election campaign. That is the hidden agenda behind this move.”
The JVP MP noted that this action was similar to what Robert Mugabe did to white farmers in Zimbabwe.
“This is a Hitler type government. This is what Robert also did in Zimbabwe,” he alleged.
(By Kelum Bandara)