Mannar Parliamentarian Selvam Adaikkalanathan, the Leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) which is a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), commenting on the controversial Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill said that they opposed the Bill on the grounds that it was beyond the powers and accountability of Parliament.
Powers proposed to be vested on the Economic Commission under the Bill are greater than the powers of the Provincial Councils and the Economic Commission will not be within the jurisdiction of the Colombo Municipal Council, he said.
The Port City, with the powers to be vested on it, will be under the domain of the Government of China and Sri Lanka cannot afford to do it because it depends on economic interaction and support from many countries of the world, especially countries in the region, Adaikkalanathan said.
Countries in the region will be antagonised over acceding to another country dominion status to an area within Sri Lanka, he said. Getting a two-third majority to pass the Bill will also be difficult because there is opposition to the Bill within the ruling party, he said. Meanwhile the Supreme Court on Thursday instructed the Attorney General to inform the court on the amendments to be made to the Bill that has been presented to Parliament.
A number of opposition parties, civil society organisations filed petitions in court against the Bill alleging that it undermines the country’s sovereignty, the constitution and labour rights. The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill was gazetted on March 23 and tabled in Parliament last week.