THE WFTU (World Federation of Trade Unions) has ‘strongly denounced’ and condemned state repression against the workers and the people of Sri Lanka.
A WTFU statement of Tuesday 27 September said: ‘We strongly condemn and denounce the condemnable attempts to silence the militant mobilisations using violence and repression.
‘Among the arrested trade unionists was the member of the Presidential Council of the WFTU, comrade Janaka Adikari.
‘The WFTU is in contact with its affiliates in Sri Lanka since the very beginning of the arrests and is ready to intervene and express its solidarity in any way needed.
‘We demand the immediate release of comrade Janaka and all the arrested militants and we condemn the violation of democratic and trade union freedoms and any attempt to frighten and silence the working class in Sri Lanka.
‘We stand in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka and their just demands for a dignified living and working conditions.’
Meanwhile President Ranil Wickremesinghe – who was appointed after the masses rose up and drove out President Gotabaya Rajapaksa – is expected to abolish High Security Zones (HSZs) that had been established in Colombo and its suburbs in terms of a controversial gazette issued last Friday.
Unnamed officials said that President Wickremesinghe, an ally of Rajapaksa, had advised the Attorney General to adopt necessary measures in this regard.
This came in response to press queries in the wake of former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris lambasting the government over the declaration of HSZs.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, Professor Peiris, who represents one of the rebel SLPP groups, questioned the legality of the HSZs declared in terms of the outdated Official Secrets Act that was meant for an entirely different purpose.
The SLPP National List MP explained how the Wickremesinghe administration sought to suppress rapidly growing public dissent over dictatorial administration.
Referring to a statement issued by Acting Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, the former law professor said that the public didn’t want to beg for government’s permission to enjoy rights guaranteed by the constitution.
Unnamed officials said that President Wickremesinghe issued the relevant gazette bearing No 2298/53 on September 23rd before he left on an official visits to Japan and the Philippines.
According to leaked reports, President Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Defence Minister issued the relevant gazette following representations made by a team of officials from the Public Security Ministry.
However, others have pointed out that though the continuing protest campaign was severely detrimental to the economy, the declaration of HSZs in the city could cause other issues.
Some said that President Wickremesinghe has advised the Public Security Ministry to implement a new security scheme after having abolished the HSZs.
Wickremesinghe would reportedly rescind the gazette immediately after returning from the overseas visit, it has been claimed.
Professor Peiris said that the government was struggling to cope with rapidly growing dissent.
The declaration of HSZs was part of an overall strategy to scare the opposition, civil society and those struggling to make ends meet.
The Human Rights Council and the Bar Association strongly condemned the use of Official Secrets Act to issue the relevant gazette in order to suppress growing opposition-led public protests.
Earlier State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya had said that Sri Lanka wouldn’t have ended up being bankrupt if previous governments had adhered to agreements with the International Monetary (IMF).
Reiterating that the country is experiencing the worst ever economic crisis, lawmaker Siyambalapitiya warned that the government would be under IMF scrutiny this time around.
Appearing on the weekly Hiru political programme Salakuna on Monday (26 September), the Kegalle District MP, who had previously served as State Finance Minister during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure as the President, said that successive governments hadn’t been honest with the IMF.
‘We conveniently forgot what was promised to the IMF after having received a couple of tranches,’ MP Siyambalapitiya said, adding that the IMF would be alert now.
The State Finance Minister said that the first tranche amounting to US$400m was expected in January 2023. Siyambalapitiya emphasised that the financial mess couldn’t be settled with the US$2.9bn received from the IMF over a period of four years.
However, the agreement with the IMF would restore the foreign governments’ faith in Sri Lanka, the State Minister mentioned.
Pointing out that Sri Lanka had received IMF loans on 16 previous occasions and the recently finalised Staff-Level agreement would lead to the 17th loan facility, MP Siyambalapitiya said that he signed the 15th agreement on behalf of Sri Lanka.
Responding to Hiru anchor Chamuditha Samarawickrema’s query whether economic crimes had been perpetrated as referred to by the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner’s latest report on Sri Lanka, lawmaker Siyambalapitiya said that there were no such crimes here.
Therefore, the Geneva statement was not applicable to Sri Lanka. But, when pressed on the accountability on the part of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government for the economic fallout, the minister acknowledged the wrongdoing on its part.
Commenting on Rajapaksa’s government depriving the Treasury of over Rs500bn by implementing a wide tax cut, soon after the last presidential election, State Minister Siyambalapitiya faulted those who advised the President on economic matters.
The State Minister said that the economy was handled by presidents and ministers who didn’t know the subject. When it was pointed out that the former president was advised by Dr P.B. Jayasundera, MP Siyambalapitiya said that he didn’t know that.
Subsequently, MP Siyambalapitiya acknowledged the role played by Dr PBJ, who then functioned as Secretary to the President, and previously as Secretary to the Treasury.
During a heated exchange, the State Finance Minister said that the then government reduced the number of tax files from 1.5 million to 400,000 and the number registered taxpayers from 1.7 million to 500,000.
The MP said that the country was in a pathetic state today as successive governments followed wrong economic policies.
The Covid-19 eruption in 2020 and external factors, too, contributed to the overall deterioration of the situation, the MP said.
In spite of clear indications that the country was heading for an unprecedented crisis, the powers that be steadfastly refused to seek IMF interventions. Instead, they continued the same harmful policies.
