📉 FCEJ Condemns Proposed Laws & Regressive Economic Policies

The Feminist Collective for Economic Justice (FCEJ) has issued a statement criticizing the NPP Government’s latest legislative agenda and economic trajectory, warning of rising authoritarianism to enforce anti-people economic reforms. • Policy & Economic Concerns FCEJ highlighted that continued austerity, subsidy removals, low social spending, and foreign loan conditionalities are worsening household precarity. Export-led growth, mineral mining, and green transition initiatives in sectors like energy, agriculture, and plantation development are driven by corporate interests without adequate labor and environmental protections. • Impact on Vulnerable Groups Working households face depressed wages, high living costs, rising debt, and climate-induced shocks, forcing many into informal labor or foreign employment. • Proposed Oppressive Legislation The collective flagged key October 2026 legislative bills that risk over-criminalizing dissent and expanding police powers: • Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTA): Broadens terrorism definitions to cover protests and curtails judicial oversight. • Organised Crime Bill: Re-introduces police confession clauses. • NGO Bill: Imposes mandatory registration, crowdfunding restrictions, and penalties up to LKR 1 Mn. • Financial Acts (2026 Updates): Enhances surveillance via terrorism financing and money laundering amendments. • Call to Action FCEJ urges the Government to shift away from prioritizing elite macroeconomic stability at the expense of working people, particularly women, and to reverse oppressive legislative trends.