Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that if the government suddenly regulates online support services and social media and other digital support services through the Broadcasting Authority Act, the social media market will leave our country resulting in the collapse of many businesses that depend on it.
The Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa said that the control of social media by the President through a group of people of his choice is an attempt to take the country to the level of North Korea and therefore the effort to regulate Facebook and digital media should be withdrawn immediately and this is a violation of even fundamental rights of the constitution.
The Leader of the Opposition made these statements yesterday (19) by asking a question under standing order 27 (2) regarding the Online Data Safety Bill.
The Opposition Leader said that although freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of Sri Lanka, the current government is working to limit it by various means and, as one of its steps, the government has prepared and submitted to the Cabinet a law to limit the opinions expressed by people in social media and punish them for publishing information that is unfavorable to the government by treating it as a criminal activity.
He pointed out that it was the progressive people of this country who worked to oust the Executive President who led the country into bankruptcy in order to rectify the wrong actions done by the last government. The opposition leader who stated that a government with the people’s blessing has not yet been appointed after the people’s struggle, added that the government is ready to close all avenues for the people to express their opinions at a time when it has also postponed the local government elections due to the fear of public opinion.
The Leader of the Opposition said here that the government has gazetted the new Bill on the safety of online systems last night after the opposition referred this issue of national importance yesterday according to standing orders and, still, it is doubtful whether the President is aware of it.