The President and his government are violating the people’s fundamental rights in an undemocratic manner. Ranil Wickramasinghe’s government has made it a habit to pursue the people’s peaceful protests and attack them to create a violent situation, says the Leader of the JVP and National People’s Power (NPP) Anura Dissanayake in a press conference held at the JVP head office at Pelawatta yesterday (9th),
Speaking further, the JVP and NPP Leader said, “As journalists, you and the citizens of this country know that the people of this country have had the ability to hold meetings for their rights and engage in agitations as a basic right given by the constitution and in practice throughout the past. However, Ranil Wickramasinghe, who got the presidency with the support of 133 fraudsters, corrupters and traitors in the Parliament who have no mandate and power, is launching repression on the people to protect that position for the protection of the 133 corrupt people. On the 26th, we of the National People’s Power took to the streets to demand democracy. We fought a peaceful struggle against Ranil, who was disrupting the elections instead of conducting them as scheduled. We had planned to go from Viharamahadevi Park to Pettah. We explained to the police officers at the roadblocks. We asked to be allowed to peacefully use one lane of the road and present our opinion. It is a democratic right. It is a peaceful protest, a very disciplined protest.
Nevertheless, the police barricaded the road and tried to suppress our protest by firing tear gas and water cannon. The final result was the killing of Comrade Nimal, one of our candidates for the Local Government election from Ratnapura District. Another Comrade is receiving treatment in the intensive care unit. Twenty-eight people who were injured had to get treatment at the hospital. Ranil Wickramasinghe is killing people. Yesterday, the Inter-University Students’ engaged in peaceful protests for their democratic rights. Ranil Wickramasinghe’s thugs were deployed to disperse them and severely suppress them. Then the assailants entered Colombo University and tear-gassed the university itself. There, a security officer of the university died due to tear gas. Also, tear gas was fired at the students of Royal College. The teachers and students of the University of Colombo raised their voices against this undemocratic and beastly action.
Ranil Wickramasinghe responded by attacking the children and teachers. The students of Kelaniya University who took to the streets to protest against the brutal attack were also attacked by the police and army. Therefore, Ranil Wickramasinghe and this government are resorting to repressive measures instead of allowing peaceful and democratic protest.
These photos show that these are official forces. What is the legal authority to arm the armies with wooden sticks and iron poles in this way? Ranil Wickramasinghe has started a culture of attacking peaceful protests with different weapons. Ranil Wickramasinghe should understand that the crab dances in the pot only until the water heats up. Ranil Wickramasinghe thinks the people’s peaceful protest can be suppressed by attacking and arresting them.
Today is March 09. Today was the day scheduled to elect new councillors for local government bodies. Ranil Wickramasinghe could not prevent the election by Parliament. He could not prevent the election through courts. Ultimately, he behaved as a saboteur to prevent the election because his true stature would be revealed in front of the people. He did not want to allow a democratic election in the country because he knew that the opinion of the people was not favourable to him.
Also, a victory for the NPP would dismantle the power of Ranil’s aristocratic power base. It is another reason to disrupt the election. According to the latest court verdict, the election commission has announced a new date for the election. However, in the Parliament, MP Dolawatta is rigorously attacking that court decision. He raises a question of privilege. If the Privileges Committee accepts it as a privilege issue, the judges of the Supreme Court will have to be summoned to the Parliament. This is an attack on the judicial system in order to maintain their illegal power.
The court has not interfered in the affairs of the Parliament. It is wrong for the executive to hold back the money passed by the Parliament. The order states that it is wrong to withhold the money passed by the Parliament. With that order, the financial power of the Parliament will be strengthened. What they are trying to interpret is that instead of strengthening the financial power of the Parliament, the executive is subduing the Parliament. That is what the Supreme Court resolved. Moreover, the dates for postal voting have been announced. The election date has been announced. Nevertheless, there is a big dubiousness in the country as to what kind of subversive action can be taken by this President to prevent the new election day.
It is a democratic right of the people of this country to elect their local government representatives. Ranil Wickramasinghe does not give that right to the people. He behaves like a saboteur. The people have suffered a lot. They have reached a stage where they commit suicide after poisoning their children or jumping into wells with their children. A situation has been created where people do not have food. It is not the fault of the people. These are the consequences of corruption. The rulers have stolen the public’s wealth, and people are standing against it. It is also suppressed. Ranil Wickramasinghe is trying to disrupt the elections, suppress the just uprisings of the people, gather a defeated group around him, and enter a dictatorial regime. Today, the ministers of the cabinet are being pushed back. Sagala Ratnayake, Ruwan Wijewardena, Akila Viraj, Range Bandara, Vajira Abeywardena, who have no mandate and who were rejected by the people, who were not even allowed to come to Parliament, are trying to go on this journey with the blessing of Pohottuwa MPs.
They are angry with the people. They are angry with university students. Ranil Wickramasinghe is carrying out moves to satisfy their anger. They get a distorted satisfaction by launching this repression. In the face of this repression, we tell the citizens that we are all people born in this country; we have a right to this country; no one should be allowed to rule by violating our democratic rights. Every citizen of this country should stand against it. In particular, we in the National People’s Power emphasize that we will defeat Ranil’s insane attempt to control this country and the people of this country by sneaking behind constitutional clauses as he does not have a people’s mandate and people’s power. What he tries to do is to suppress this country and the people by using repressive power with his crazy mind.
When Ranil comes with mobs, with forces with wooden poles and with forces brandishing iron poles, we will face him with the power of the people of this country. It is not the articles of the constitution that are powerful, but the power of the people in this country. Therefore, Ranil Wickramasinghe’s anti-democratic, repressive and disruptive actions should be stopped immediately.
If not, we are ready to confront Ranil Wickramasinghe with the power of the people of this country. In particular, we value democracy in this country; we are creating, with all organizations and citizens, the broadest force necessary to win democracy. These repressive measures should be stopped immediately. There is a lot of doubt about the tear gas that is used. Comrade Nimal dies after being hit by tear gas, he vomits for almost an hour and a half, faints, and finally dies. He didn’t die trampled by people or being attacked or run over by a vehicle. He dies due to the reaction of the tear gas. This death is a murder.
Colombo University’s security officer, Priyantha Vanninayake, who died on Friday, was not killed by a bullet or an accident. It was due to the tear gas attack. He dies shortly after washing his face. These are murders. There is a lot of justifiable doubt even about the tear gas being used. These repressive measures must be defeated.
There is doubt whether chemical weapons are used. It is doubtful whether the various types of toxic smoke banned in the world are deployed for this suppression. Ranil Wickramasinghe is trying to rule this country with an idiotic and crazy mind. We have already recognized this danger. We invite all citizens of this country to defeat this menace. Ranil Wickramasinghe should understand that his crazy and idiotic actions cannot suppress the NPP and the people’s power of this country and in the end it will be the power of the people of this country that will win. Therefore, these repressive measures should be stopped immediately. We totally condemn these repressive measures. We are ready to work with the broadest democratic movements that can be built to defeat these repressive methods.
