Government trying to suppress independent media through new bill, says Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa
13-Jun-2026.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa alleged that the proposed legislation to establish a Chartered Media Institute would bring independent media activities under government control.
Speaking during the Adjournment Debate on Energy and Cost of Living in Parliament on June 11, Premadasa urged the government to hold Provincial Council elections if it wished to test whether its current path was right or wrong.
He said the government had published a bill to establish the Sri Lanka Chartered Institute of Media and claimed that, while it was presented as an effort to professionalize the media sector, it would effectively place independent media under state control.
According to Premadasa, the bill would allow the Minister to appoint an interim governing council, with the Ministry Secretary serving as a member by virtue of office. He argued that this would enable the government to regulate and influence media operations.
He further stated that although the bill does not explicitly require journalists to carry identity cards, it gives the government the authority to determine who can function as a journalist. He described this as a serious concern.
Premadasa noted that membership could be suspended for professional misconduct and warned that such provisions could become a form of media suppression.
He said key powers, including the authority to determine qualifications and regulations, had been vested in the Minister and the council, whereas such matters should be clearly defined in legislation within a democratic framework.
According to him, the proposed law promotes state regulation instead of self-regulation and threatens media freedom.
Premadasa also highlighted the economic hardships faced by small and medium-scale entrepreneurs, fishermen and farmers, arguing that the situation reflected ineffective governance.
He called for Provincial Council elections to serve as a democratic test of whether the government’s policies enjoy public support.
