Support cannot be gained when leadership does not reflect will of people: SJB

By Darshana Abayasingha

SJB MP Imtiaz Bakeer Markar said no other country in Asia has fallen to the depths Sri Lanka has fallen today. He also pointed to a comment by Indian Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, who once said, ‘There can never be a famine in a democracy’, as the people’s voice and needs are heard within a democracy. “Sri Lanka is set to prove him wrong as this country faces a massive food crisis, with leaders having failed to heed the advice of experts and even its public,” Bakeer Markar said. The public has been placed under immense stress, he added, noting that things could go out of hand at any moment. 

The MP said the global community has lost confidence in Sri Lanka, and does not trust the leadership of this country. Sri Lanka is now known as a corrupt country with a leadership that cannot be trusted, therefore we cannot anticipate any assistance from the world until such time there is a change that is reflective of the people’s aspirations, Bakeer Markar said. 

“Even during the Middle East crisis during the tenure of President Ranasinghe Premadasa, Muslim nations helped us obtain oil even without payments; today there is no help coming. One of our oldest friends, Japan, is disappointed with us. The United Nations has no confidence in us. Due to the Aragalaya, we forced the resignation of the controversial Finance Minister and the then Prime Minister. There was a great deal of pressure on the President to step down, but with the appointment of the new Prime Minister, he has proved to be the saviour of these corrupt individuals,” he added. 

Bakeer Markar stressed that economic solutions could only come out of stable political reform, and it was disappointing that the much-anticipated 21st Amendment is now being shelved and shaped to suit the corrupt leadership with assistance from the premier and his government. 

“This is a time to make bold decisions and that is the only way out. We need to win back the confidence of the world at large. We must demonstrate Sri Lanka is on a new path. Without a government that reflects the wants of the people, the world at large will not support us,” he lamented.