The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayathissa

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, this is a highly sensitive issue. How a society decides on matters concerning the dead is an indicator of its civility. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been differing opinions on the nature and transmission of the virus, but many issues were clarified in a short time. The decision taken by the then Government caused a serious problem — you know this. Months later, even the decision to bury at Ottamavadi raised many complex issues for our people.

¶ 02 We are sensitive to this issue. As we said then as a group, making decisions based on non-scientific frameworks for political reasons is wrong. This is not about concealing information. Under medical ethics and the RTI Act, patient-related personal information cannot be disclosed — that is all. We have no right to hide information otherwise. Politically, you know where we stood: the then Cabinet took a very wrong, unscientific decision. We will not allow such wrongs in the future. As a country, we should be ashamed of that decision.