Apology for forced cremation of COVID-dead should come from those who made decision

It’s becoming increasingly clear that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is being forced to clean up, one by one, the mess left behind by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Putting the economy back on track is one such challenge but this week the President stepped in to try and bring closure to those affected by one of the most infamous decisions taken during Rajapaksa administration – that of making cremation mandatory for all persons who died due to the coronavirus. 

The decision was made to the dismay of the country’s Muslim population whose religion makes burial obligatory for their dead. The Rajapaksa administration’s decision on mandatory cremation was arbitrary and was not backed by any scientific or medical evidence and went against guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the disposal of bodies of those who fell victim to the coronavirus.

The decision angered Sri Lanka’s traditional allies in the Muslim world and put decades-old diplomatic relations under strain. Members of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government stood by as silent spectators as he went ahead and brought in the cruel rules knowing that these would impact one community in the country more than others.

On Tuesday, President Wickremesinghe sought to lessen the hurt and anger of the Muslims, not only in this country, but the world over. While Sri Lanka was making headway in keeping the coronavirus in check, the forced cremation issue overshadowed all the success in curbing the spread of the virus and brought shame to the entire country. 

“This House would like to apologise for what happened. During this time there was a lot of pain, mainly felt by the Muslims, but also Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, I know who also like to bury,” the President said in Parliament.

He said the decision was based on an expert committee report, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court and the Government had to go along with it.

There is little doubt that the President’s decision to issue an apology is meant to appease the Muslim community ahead of the October’s Presidential elections but why is the President taking it upon himself to issue an apology whereas those who were behind this shameful decision remain silent?

Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his books launched in March titled “The conspiracy to oust me from the Presidency” blamed members of the expert committee, in particular one member, for insisting on cremation only for COVID victims. He did not issue an apology or express any remorse for this massive blunder which earned him the ire of the entire Muslim community as well as others as it was clear that the decision was not due to medical reasons but driven by prejudice against a community and to further the communal agenda that he set in motion after taking office in November, 2019.

Now the current President is attempting to put the disgraceful decision to rest by issuing an apology but how far it will go to appease those affected by it is to be seen. While he had no role in the decision that was taken, given that he has succeeded the man who was behind the forced cremation rule, the President has to take responsibility for all the bad decisions made by his predecessor. 

But the real apology should come from those who were behind it, and this includes the members of the so-called “experts committee” who brought shame on the entire country. Otherwise, the President’s apology seems more like an attempt to whitewash the sins of the Rajapaksas instead of a genuine apology.