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Relief for casinos while life is a gamble for the people
View(s):TNA raises lone voice against Muslim bashing; Govt. confirms child rape has increased with 1,759 cases in 2012
By Chandani Kirinde, Our Lobby Correspondent
As Parliament sessions ended for the New Year holidays, nearly-approved legislation by the House, gave little by way of relief to the general public. In fact, the 15 Finance Bills passed last week, which were to give effect to the Budget proposals introduced last November, only meant that people would have to pay more for services such as legal fees for marriage registration, as well as some additional taxes for various sectors.
However, Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama who introduced the Bills to the House, said that, while some government levies were going up, relief has been granted to medium and small scale businesses, while there were measures to make the Inland Revenue Department more efficient by providing it with better facilities.
However, most Opposition MPs disagreed with Minister Amumugama’s contention, being particularly critical of the amendments introduced to the Betting and Gaming Levy Act, to provide relief to those engaged in the trade.
UNP National List MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said that, while people are bogged down with the high cost of living, with increasing fuel prices and electricity bills heaped on them, tax relief is being granted to the casino businesses.
Passing of the Bills, which was delayed for several weeks, due to some of them being challenged in the Supreme Court, were given the green light by the Court, which determined they were not inconsistent with the Constitution. Five of the Bills that needed sanction by the Provincial Councils, also got the nod, thus enabling them all to be approved by the House, after they were debated last Tuesday and Wednesday.
In addition to these, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) raised issues related to the attacks on Muslim establishments in the country, as well as the recent attacks in the North, both on the TNA as well as the Uthayan newspaper office.
On Tuesday, TNA Leader R. Sampanthan expressed grave concern relating to the safety, security and wellbeing of the Muslim people of this island. “The Muslim people have been historical inhabitants of this island, and have contributed immensely to its development for many centuries,” he said, adding that, however, “today, the purveyors of hate are unleashing a bitter and spiteful campaign against the Muslim people.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Sampanthan spoke of attacks on the Tamil people in the North, and asked the Government to cease the violence directed against them, alleging that, these attacks are carried out with the active support, sanction and collusion of the Government.
Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne replied to the charges made against the Government, saying that, it was certain politicians who should avoid making hate speeches and utterances that would lead to communal disharmony.
He said that Mr. Sampanthan, by his statements, is attempting to create clashes between the communities.He also denied that members of the security forces or the police are engaged in illegal activities, as alleged by the TNA Leader. Meanwhile, a very disturbing trend of cases of child rape, abuse and sexual harassment was revealed to Parliament last Tuesday, when Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena replied to a question raised by DNA MP Sunil Handunnetti.
The Minister revealed that a total of 3,859 cases of rape, sexual harassment and child abuse have been reported from across the country in 2012. This was far in excess of the number of adult women who had suffered from the same forms of violence and abuse.
The number of child rapes was the highest at 1,759, as opposed to the rape of women at 330, while a total of 1,194 cases of child abuse was also recorded during the last year, while sexual harassment of children stood at 547, as opposed to 29 cases of sexual harassment of adult women.
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