KNDU Bill should be scrapped entirely, no amendments: IUSF

Education sector trade unions want the complete withdrawal of the Kotelawala National Defence University (KNDU) Bill and are not prepared to settle for the bill being passed with amendments, the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) insisted.

IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige told Education Times that while certain sections of the Government and the Opposition were speaking of introducing amendments to the bill, the unions are united in their stand that it should be scrapped entirely.

“The Government was trying to push this bill through Parliament on July 8 using the COVID pandemic as cover, but the widespread protests against the bill forced it to take a step back,” Mr Mudalige said.

He pointed out that the vote on the bill, scheduled for July 9, has been postponed following the protests.

He also condemned the continued forced quarantine of trade unionists who were taken into custody and granted bail by court, and stressed the IUSF and other education sector unions will continue to protest until they are all released and the bill withdrawn.

A large protest was held in Colombo on Monday (12) demanding the release of the quarantined activists and the withdrawal of the KNDU Bill. District level protests organised by the IUSF are still ongoing. Protests were held in the Kegalle and Galle districts on Friday while more protests are scheduled in Kandy, Hambantota and Badulla.

Though the Police had been heavy-handed towards those protesting the KNDU Bill, the subsequent public outrage over the police actions in arresting and forcibly quarantining protesters on July 8 has visibly had an effect on law enforcement authorities as they have largely been subdued in the face of protests thereafter, the IUSF convenor opined.

“However, we are not prepared to stand idly by if the Government continues with the quarantine of trade unionists. We intend to organise and march again on Colombo in the coming days if the situation continues.”

Meanwhile, the IUSF, together with the Ceylon Teachers Service and the Ceylon Teachers’ Union filed 15 Habeas Corpus petitions with the Court of Appeal on Thursday seeking an interim order directing authorities to produce the quarantined protesters before court.