SJB blasts Govt. for putting politics before public health

By Asiri Fernando

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday charged that the Government prioritised politics over public health regulations on COVID-19 in the lead up to the latest virus cluster outbreak. 

Addressing the media yesterday, SJB Parliamentarian Mujibur Rahman stated that the Government, through its statements and actions, portrayed that the COVID-19 situation was defeated during the last few months, leading the public to believe the threat had disappeared. 

He claimed that the Government shifted focus to push through the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution and lost sight of the COVID-19 threat at hand. 

“During recent months, the leaders of the Government pushed the view that the COVID-19 threat was over. Especially, Government leaders supported this view by organising their meetings and celebrations, with little regard for the existing COVID-19 public health guidelines. This has an impact on the public. When we switch on the news and see senior members of the Government acting like there is no COVID-19, will the public be inclined to follow the regulations?” Rahman questioned. 

Rahman charged that the Government over-emphasised the early COVID-19 successes that had made Sri Lanka safer than most countries in the world, calling the manner in which the successes were portrayed as irresponsible.

“This kind of behaviour by senior Government politicians undermine the importance of the public health regulations in effect and weaken the resolve of those who adhere to them and enforce them. The Government was more focused on repealing the 19th Amendment and installing the proposed 20th Amendment. The Government forgot to follow through with measures to eradicate COVID-19,” he charged. 

The Government’s shift in focus over the last three months from COVID-19 mitigation and economic recovery to pushing through the 20th Amendment has made Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 response weaker, the SJB Parliamentarian argued. 

“We saw how the Government removed public health regulations on functions and meetings, how they gave permission for larger celebrations and organised functions. We saw how the Government leadership visited these functions and organised celebrations. That was irresponsible behaviour by the Government,” he opined. 

Rahman also criticised the Government’s policy on how COVID-19 PCR tests were conducted, contrary to views expressed by medical experts that testing should be increased by several folds. 

“We, as the Opposition, have been supportive of the Government’s COVID-19 response from the start. However they have failed to take some key measures to protect the population. Now, their behaviour and complacency has placed the entire country at risk,” Rahman said, pointing out that the role of a responsible Government was to listen to the expert views, stay focused on critical issues and to lead by example.