PM questioned about IDP “freedom”

Emergency was extended by another month yesterday in parliament with Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka stating that the masses were heaving sighs of peace but it would be dangerous to become complacent.
Speaking in Parliament during the debate he insisted that even though the people were enjoying the soothing effects of peace countrywide it would be premature to dismiss emergency laws as that might assist forces that were determined to destroy this new found peace. He also insisted that regulations were needed for the government to wipe out the dregs of terrorism that might still prevail.
In response, UNP MP Joseph Michael Perera questioned as to whether this new found freedom was being savoured by the thousands of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in camps and questioned the viability of keeping an emergency law that was allegedly undermining the democracy of the south.
“We have been happily listening to the Prime Ministers beautifully crafted speech and it is easy to overlook the holes in it. However, one is forced to question whether or not this same freedom is being enjoyed by the IDPs in camps not to mention certain people in the south. These are considerations that must be raised. To what purpose must the emergency law be kept going?” he questioned.
The motion to extend the state of emergency by a further month was passed in Parliament by a majority of 92 votes. Eleven members voted against and 103 voted for the motion. The Tamil National Alliance opposed the motion while SLMC members were not inside the chamber at the time of voting,
Gas caused a further furor in parliament yesterday when the recent price hike came under fire and Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunewardene stated that he was ready for a day long debate over the issue.
Clearly irate at the criticism that was being heaped on him by various Parliamentarians headed by JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake he strongly dismissed the claims and stressed that if the members of the House were not happy with his performance they were welcome to change the current price system that was approved by the Supreme Court. Ratnayake had earlier insisted that the government was unfairly making taxes over the import and sale of gas cylinders.