Marikkar says Govt. apology over COVID-19 cremations aimed at gaining Muslim vote

 SJB MP S.M. Marikkar 

• SJB MP S.M. Marikkar accuses Cabinet of attempting to protect Rajapaksas from accountability for enforced COVID-19 cremations by issuing an apology
• Says Govt’s apology was a tactic to shift blame onto officials rather than addressing the true responsibility
• Demands Govt. reveal actual wrongdoers, says they should be punished, and victims compensated

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP S.M. Marikkar has accused the Cabinet of trying to shield the Rajapaksa family from accountability over the enforced COVID-19 cremations by issuing an apology to those affected.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Marikkar claimed that the Government’s apology was an attempt to shift the blame onto officials rather than addressing the true responsibility for the controversial policy.

He questioned how the decision was made if officials had not based their recommendations on scientific evidence and why Cabinet members did not question the policy at the time.

The MP said the apology has been issued in a bid to gain the Muslim vote in the upcoming elections. 

Marikkar stated that if the apology is genuine, the Government must disclose who the actual wrongdoers are behind the policy decision. “They must be punished, and the victims must be compensated,” he said.

Commenting on the Economic Transformation Bill, Marikkar accused the Government of incorporating the IMF agreement in the latest Economic Transformation Bill in a bid to sabotage future Governments. 

Marikkar asserted that the agreement was inserted into the Bill as a strategic move by the current Government, which anticipates losing power and aims to undermine their successors.

However, the MP stated that despite the legislation receiving parliamentary approval, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), upon winning the Presidential election on 21 September, will dissolve the current Parliament, secure majority support, and renegotiate with the IMF with the backing of the people.

He said even the IMF is aware that the current Parliament lacks majority support. 

Marikkar questioned the undervaluation of the Hilton Hotel and who stands to gain from it. He asserted that the Government is similarly exploiting the crisis to enrich themselves through various deals.