The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) in a letter has expressed concerns over the Cabinet paper which seeks approval for the government to enter into the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement prior to the Presidential Election.
“Despite news reports seeking to assure the public of the benign nature of the agreement, the draft which was made available to us had a multitude of disadvantageous for Sri Lanka,” BASL President Kalinga N. Indatissa said. “The BASL outlined the grave consequences that Sri Lanka would face as an independent and sovereign state in the event the GOSL proceeded to sign the MCC agreement in that form.”
The BASL cites that the proposed MCC contained many issues of a “grave nature” and they had made the Prime Minister aware of their views, to which the Prime Minister said that he was grateful for their efforts. “We take this step as a responsible association as the assurance given to us previously by the government to take any step towards signing the agreement without amendments and making a full disclosure of the contents to the public has not been honoured.”
The Association argues that the document should be available for a democratic debate before committing to it. “In such circumstances, the BASL holds the view that the MCC agreement should not be signed without providing an opportunity to the people to understand the value of the agreement.”
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