SJB’s Marikkar tells President where to get off

It is so abhorrent to see President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who could not poll enough votes to come to parliament and thereafter came to the House through the backdoor, intimidating and issuing threats to other MPs who are real representatives of the people, SJB Colombo District MP S.M. Marikkar said.

“He could not even poll 29,000 votes at the General election. I got more votes than him. Now he comes to parliament and dictates terms and issue threats to other MPs. He is neither a President nor an MP elected by the people. He threatens that he would see about those MPs who would vote against IMF loan facility. If he thinks that we the MPs of the people could be terrorized to toe the line he wants, he is mistaken,” Marikkar said addressing a press conference in Colombo.

Marikkar said that resorting to thuggery whenever there is dissent has become the order of the day for the makeshift government. “Threats are issued against university teachers. The president threatens to take over the properties of university teachers who join the protests. How could he do so? Where in the world a democratic country has done so?

“If the university teachers have concerns they should be addressed. Professionals are leaving the country in their thousands because they cannot live under the tax increase by the government. Soon the remaining university teachers too would leave this country if the President behaves like a rowdy thug threatening to acquire their properties,” Marikkar said.

The Colombo District MP said that school teachers and the university lecturers had decided to abstain from marking GCE Advanced Level answer scripts because the payment they receive for their work is not sufficient. “This President and the government have money to be spent on extravagances and entertaining shows such as the Independence Day parades and Republic Day carnivals where billions of rupees were wasted without listening to the demands of teachers to increase their payments. The other day crores of rupees were spent for a New Year festival opposite the Presidential secretariat. But when teachers demand their due increases, the government acts like a ruffian. We are not afraid of this hooligan façade and know that people too would not tolerate such bullies and thugs in the garb of rulers,” Marikkar said.