Equal Treatment Under the Law Is Essential to Build a Safe Country for Children, President stresses at Badulla Women's Rally

COLOMBO (News 1st): President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says all developed countries share one fundamental principle which is the principal that the law applies equally to everyone.

Speaking at the Badulla NPP Women's Rally, the President stressed that education reforms alone cannot secure the future of children and establishing the rule of law and ensuring justice are equally important to building a safe country.

He pointed out that even if parents protect and educate their children, they cannot guarantee their safety if they grow up in a society where the law is not enforced equally.

The President highlighted the fact that Sri Lanka has long struggled with this problem, where individuals with political connections have escaped legal action.

He cited examples of politically protected individuals involved in illegal tree felling, sand mining, and the production and sale of illegal drugs, arguing that political influence has allowed them to evade accountability.

The President questioned how children can be safe in a country where the law is enforced selectively, based on a person's status, wealth or political connections.

The President says the law must protect everyone equally, regardless of their position in society.

He acknowledged that achieving this change will not be easy, as some individuals have enjoyed legal protection, escaped accountability and benefited from privileges under the previous system.

President Dissanayake added that those who benefited from the old system do not want the law to apply equally to everyone. Instead, they want to retain their privileges and protection while others remain subject to the full force of the law.

The President referred the law in Sri Lanka being compared to a spider's web, where the weak are trapped while the powerful break free.

He highlighted that Sri Lanka must move away from this status and build a country where everyone is equal before the law, for the sake of future generations.

The President further affirmed that the government is committed to building such a country, while noting that those who benefited from the previous system are becoming increasingly agitated as these changes take place.