Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of the Alliance of Trade Unions for Medical and Civil Rights, states that the ambiguities within the proposed ‘Organized Crime Prevention Act’ and the ‘Protection from State Terrorism Act’ which the government intends to introduce pose a risk of giving rise to numerous serious problems.
He explains that because the new legislation grants law enforcement officials the discretion to act as they see fit, even raising concerns about issues such as medicine shortages, substandard drugs, the plight of cancer patients, or corruption, fraud, and irregularities within the healthcare sector could be classified as ‘acts of terrorism.’ He points out that, consequently, professional and civil society leaders who expose such matters could be arrested and detained a development that warrants serious concern.
He further notes that had such laws been in effect previously, he and other trade union leaders would have been unable to challenge former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and various officials within the Ministry of Health regarding their conduct. He further stated that, due to ambiguities in the new legislative acts, various professional and civil society organizations including the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) and the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) could potentially be labeled as “terrorist” entities, particularly when they raise concerns regarding issues within the education or healthcare sectors.
He noted that the public must be made aware of this, as the government could clearly utilize these laws to suppress professional, civil, and religious organizations extending its reach well beyond the mere suppression of political party mechanisms.
Consultant Physician Dr. Chamal Sanjeeva points out that, under these new laws, even posting about the problems one faces on social media could lead to being classified as a “terrorist”; he asserts that this is a clear violation of individual human rights.
He made these remarks while speaking at a press conference held by the National Professional and Civil Front on Saturday.