“All dealings should abide by the law” - Dilanthe Vithanage Bodu Bala SENACEO

Compared to other countries in the world, the place given for consumer rights in Sri Lanka is far below average

Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) CEO Dilanthe Vithanage said the society needed to build a digital world that consumers could trust. “Compared to other countries in the world, the place given for consumer rights in Sri Lanka is far below average. Other countries constantly investigate and verify if the entities elected to protect consumer rights abide by the Rule of Law.

“If consumers’ complaints are found to be genuine, then strict action is taken against the particular business and the judiciary may order it to compensate the victim. However, this is not the practice in Sri Lanka. CAA, the main regulatory body in this context, should guide the consumers as well as the businesses. State authorities should ensure that all dealings in this process abide by the law. They need to be responsive to all types of queries. The consumers should urge the relevant authorities to enact digital consumer rights protection laws as the country is driven in the wrong direction in protecting consumer rights. The consumers in Sri Lanka remain disheartened to the point they are left to think twice on the guidance provided by CAA.

“The internet has changed the lifestyle of people. The society has adapted to new technologies. Many companies use their own databases to spam consumers through emails, which is ethically wrong. Government authorities should be aware of these malpractices. If not, the general public will be misled. “During the previous regime, we formulated a consumer protection policy by adding key fields including education, healthcare, food and transport that are directly applicable to consumers. But, with the ‘Yahapalana’ government coming to power, this policy has been sidelined. Today, the government authorities treat consumers like slaves,” Mr. Vithanage said.