Marikkar warns state officials acting illegally, Sajith threatens to get on the streets

SJB MP S.M. Marikkar on Thursday told Parliament that a SJB government will take action against state officials who follow President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s illegal directives.

“Don’t do anything illegal. If you do, be ready to suffer the consequences,” he said.

The SJB MP said Wickremesinghe has money to waste on various tamashas, but he has no funds for elections, which is an inalienable right of the people.

“People are struggling to live. Private companies are closing down. The government is not doing anything. They insist the economy is recovering and people are not feeling the pinch as severely as before. The President is afraid of the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the President told parliament that elections will be held in 2024.

“He has no right to say that. The constitution insists that he must facilitate elections. He is violating the law of the land. Parliament allocated money for the local council election in the 2023 budget. Now the president can’t say he has no money. The government printed hundreds of billions of rupees last year,” he said.

Premadasa said that the government is also trying to change the members of the elections commission.

“The government violates our rights and makes us suffer. When people wonder why their own government hates them, the ministers insist that this is what the IMF wants. So essentially, we are doing anything and everything the IMF wants. We didn’t even present our own program. The government is trying to scare dissidents. The SJB will get onto the roads with the people and defend our rights,” he said.