Description

People protesting the government's purported decision to grant automobile permits to legislators were reportedly approached by several police officers, creating a tense scene close to the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. In addition to trying to lead the protestors to the Colpetty Police Station and confiscating a banner they were holding with force, a senior police official can be seen verbally fighting with one of the demonstrators in the video. The situation further escalated when the demonstrators refused to go to the police station and questioned the police officer’s repressive actions against them. Still, the demonstrators were able to deliver a letter to Kapila Munasinghe, the President's Additional Secretary, voicing their displeasure with the government's decision.

Members of the group "Citizen Against Bribery, Corruption and Waste" organised the demonstration in opposition to the alleged government decision to restore the vehicle permits to MPs.

According to recent media reports, the Parliamentary Committee which looks into the requirements of MPs, approved their request for vehicle permits in line with the similar facilities offered to executive graders in different categories of the public service.

The Members of Parliament, exceeding 100 in number and hailing from various political parties, have allegedly delivered a request to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena seeking approval to bring in vehicles duty-free for their use. The decision was made due to the economic crisis and the ban on vehicle imports, as the Members of Parliament elected in the 2020 general election did not receive the usual benefit