Akuregoda killing Government has failed to ensure public security: Opposition

By Yohan Perera and Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

A number of opposition parties, referring to the killing of a lawyer in Akuregoda yesterday, said the NPP government has failed to guarantee public security in keeping with its electoral pledge to ensure safety and uphold the rule of law.   

“The killing is a clear indication that the rule of law in the country is on the decline. Also, it shows that the government has failed to uphold the rule of law in the nation despite election pledges,” Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said.   

He said the government should carry out a proper probe and reveal the truth behind the killing to the country.   

SLPP National Organizer MP Namal Rajapaksa said public security cannot be guaranteed when killings take place near the residence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.” The ministers claim they have stopped daily shooting. However they have actually failed in that endeavour” Rajapaksa told journalists.   

Frontline Socialist Party (FLSP)-led Aragala Sandanaya National Executive Committee Member Nuwan Bopage said the government cannot get away by saying the killing was carried out by an underworld gang. “    The government has said the killing has been carried out by an underworld gang. This gang has killed the lawyer in Akuregoda for appearing on behalf of another gang. One cannot get away by taking the killing lightly” Bopage said.   

Meanwhile, former Member of Parliament Premanath C. Dolawatta has sharply criticized the government’s handling of law and order, claiming it is allowing underworld violence to 

spiral unchecked.