Parliament passes emergency regulations to seize food stocks, warehouses
COLOMBO – Parliament on Monday (6) passed regulations giving powers to a military official appointed as a commissioner-general of essential services to seize food stocks, confiscate warehouses and vehicles used in their transport, following the invoking of emergency law.
The regulations, promulgated by president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, were passed with a convincing majority of 81 votes – 132 legislators voting for and 51 against it – in the 225-member legislature where the government has a two-thirds majority.
Sri Lanka on August 31 declared a state of emergency across the island over food shortages with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa saying he had ordered emergency regulations to counter the hoarding of sugar, rice and other essential foods and to ensure public security. The President named a top army officer, Major General Senarath Niwunhella, as ‘Commissioner General of Essential Services’ to coordinate the supply of paddy, rice, sugar and other consumer goods.
The move followed sharp price rises for sugar, rice, onions and potatoes, while long queues were seen outside stores because of shortages of milk powder, kerosene oil and cooking gas.
A day after the declaration of the state of emergency, officials raided several private warehouses and confiscated 29,000 metric tonnes of white and brown sugar. “The objective is to prevent hoarding,” Major General Niwunhella, said, denying the sugar was being confiscated.
According to Sri Lanka’s Constitution, the state of emergency has to be passed by Parliament within 14 days of it being gazetted, hence Monday’s debate and vote.
The opposition argued there was no necessity for emergency as provisions were already there in several existing laws to impose price controls and find unregistered food stocks. The government has however maintained the existing provisions including Consumer Affairs Authority Act were not enough to counter artificially created food shortages.
Several government spokesmen have also claimed traders were ‘hoarding’ sugar and rice and there was no shortage in the country.
However, price controls imposed by the Consumer Affairs Authority had led to shortages of milk powder and liquefied petroleum gas.
Some opposition legislators blamed the government’s economic policy including money printing for the current crisis.
Meanwhile, State Minister Indika Anuruddha, speaking during the emergency debate on Monday said Sri Lanka needs a dictator like President Rajapaksa and indicated his support for dictatorship. He said a dictatorship would help address several issues in the country.
-economynext.com/ENCL