Mismanagement by Govt. will lead to austere times: Bakeer Markar

By Asiri Fernando

Economic mismanagement and short-sighted foreign policies of the Government will lead to more hardship and challenges in the future, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Imthiaz Bakeer Markar warned yesterday.

“The Government is misleading the public about the crisis that the country is facing. The Government does not have solutions to the serious issues the country is facing. The reality is that people don’t have money, which is evident by the long queues to pawn what assets they have,” MP Bakeer Markar said at a press conference held yesterday. Bakeer Markar was joined by fellow SJB MP Nalin Bandara at the press conference.

The Opposition politician argued that the public deserved to know the full depth of the crisis the country is facing, calling for the Government to be more transparent.

“Last week, our colleagues explained how economic mismanagement by the Government is pushing the country further into a crisis. We have to be honest with the public. Even if an SJB Government comes into power tomorrow, the situation will pose many challenges. 

“However, as the Opposition, we have acted responsibly. The SJB has not used the faults of the Government for our political gain, Bakeer Markar stated, adding that the SJB had experts who were looking for alternative solutions.

The veteran politician blamed the Government for placing EU trade concessions at risk and for eroding Sri Lanka’s international standing by not acting promptly on human rights and good-governance related allegations. Bakeer Markar opined that Sri Lanka cannot afford to alienate herself or damage the competitiveness of key exports during an economic crisis while battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It will be difficult to rebuild the economy in the future. Flawed foreign policies and nepotism have limited our options and eroded Sri Lankan reputation. The situation is so bad that countries do not want to lend to us anymore. There will be significant challenges to face, austere times ahead. However, we have a capable team in the Opposition, and we can face those challenges,” Bakeer Markar stated.