A decision on allowing the burial of COVID victims will be taken based only on the recommendations of the Health Ministry’s Expert Committee, State Minister Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle told Parliament yesterday. Dr. Fernandopulle said although Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa informed Parliament on Wednesday that burial of COVID victims would be permitted, the Health Ministry will present the matter to a Technical Expert Committee for action and the Health Ministry will have to act based on recommendations of this Committee.
However, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress MP Rauff Hakeem slammed the State Minister and the Health Ministry, questioning if they were beyond the Prime Minister, who is entitled to make decisions on behalf of the state and its citizens. “The Prime Minister made a very categorical statement that burials would be permitted. This is a better late than never, mature decision by a very mature politician. He understands not only the predicament of the government but the minorities and the reconciliation of this country. In such an issue, now going back to the so-called, ‘expert committee’ which is full of people who are pseudo scientists is not going to solve this problem. Minister Ali Sabry knows that Muslims on both sides have been agitating for this and finally the Prime Minister has given a solemn undertaking in this House.
What more than that? Now it is up to the Health authorities. Who is better than the Prime Minister to make a decision on behalf of the government? Who are the so-called experts in the Health Ministry who are blocking this and creating racial tensions in this country? We are dragging the whole country into an abyss by this conduct,” he said.
