Law drafter blames non-enactment of Animal Welfare Bill on politicos who fear losing votes
Posted on February 6th, 2022
by Ruwan Laknath Jayakody
A drafter of the Animal Welfare Bill blamed the non-enactment of the law on politicians from mainstream political parties and both sides of the aisle, whom he claimed feared losing votes, and thereby their political survival.
Attorney-at-Law (AAL) Senaka Weeraratna who is a Member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) while serving as a Legal Consultant on animal welfare legislation to the Law Commission of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2006 played a pivotal role in steering the drafting of the said Bill, claimed that politicians, for opportunistic and political reasons did not want to have anything to do with the Bill.
The Bill which was given the nod by Cabinet in January 2016 seeks to repeal and replace the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of 1907 as Amended, which is the existing law in this regard.
He alleged that these politicians don’t want to touch the Bill even with a barge-pole and are not prepared for a discussion on the matter for fear of losing votes and the voting bloc of powerful groups of communities who have no sympathy for animal life.
They believe that this is not immoral but is legitimate. They are not sensitive and they don’t care. This is the reality. This is a national shame for a country with a practice of an animal-friendly cultural heritage. All pleas made to the politicians have fallen on deaf ears and they have turned their backs on the cries and grievances of the poor animals. The sanctity of life is not solely for human beings who are but only one species out of approximately eight million,” he explained.
Elsewhere, the President of the BASL, Udaya Rohan De Silva PC noted that this Bill was essential.
This Bill came up earlier but has been abandoned since. We talk of humanitarian grounds and the rights of normal people but we don’t talk about animals rights. This has to be looked at and animals have to be safeguarded. We will urge the Minister of Justice, AAL Thalatha Atukorale to get the matter on track and proceed further. We will push the authorities to do the needful in this regard,” he elaborated.
Courtesy: Ceylon Today (January 8, 2019)