The crisis caused by Covid 19, more commonly known as the Coronavirus around the world continues into another week and its political implications in Sri Lanka where a General Election was scheduled to be held in late April became apparent last week.
With the country in virtual ‘lockdown’ with the imposition of an indefinite curfew, the spread of the pandemic has been comparatively well contained. At the time of writing, there have been 185 recorded cases of the disease, with six deaths. The celebrations for Easter and the Sinhala and Tamil New Year will be muted this year because of the current crisis.
Health experts say that the real number of persons infected with the corona virus is likely to be much higher. This is not readily detected due to the lack of widespread testing. However, the fact that the number of persons with symptoms is relatively low means the pandemic has not spiralled out of control as it has in some countries such as Spain, Italy and the United States.
This has been achieved by a combination of measures: ‘social isolation’ being enforced through a curfew, isolating those known to be infected in a few selected centres for treatment and compelling those who have had contact with infected persons into quarantine centres, with stringent monitoring of their whereabouts.
However, the doctors’ trade union, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) warned this week that there was no room for complacency. This is because it was estimated that the 185 persons known to be infected with the virus are likely to have had contact with about 42,000 others before they were detected. Most of these persons are not in quarantine and could potentially pass on the infection.
Last week, there was controversy over a decision by the authorities to cremate those who succumb to the illness, resulting in protests from Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem. This followed the cremation of a sixty-four-year-old Muslim person who passed away following complications from Coronavirus infection at the Negombo hospital.
Taking to social media, Hakeem noted that it is “unfortunate, regrettable and of course reprehensible that the Janaza of the Negombo Victim of the Covid 19 virus had been cremated without permitting the burial as is ordained in our faith.” The controversy erupted in part because the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in late March included the option of burial.
In Sri Lanka, standard operating procedures sent out to judicial medical officers in the second week of March laid out guidelines for the disposal of the bodies of people who die from Covid 19. They included restrictions on the viewing of the body, a ban on public funerals and compulsory cremation. Burial was not given as an option in the original circular.
Subsequently however, Director-General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe told the media that “burial is permitted as long as the grave is eight feet deep and the water table is not high where it could be contaminated.” This was however not the case in Negombo where the level of ground water was high, raising the possibility of ground water being contaminated by the virus.
Hakeem raised the issue at a meeting political party representatives had with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa where other officials were also present. Initially, he appeared to request a separate discussion with the Prime Minister but Premier Rajapaksa urged him to proceed while officials were present, so they could respond.
It was Dr. Jasinghe who provided the necessary clarifications. He noted that while the WHO guidelines stated that “to date there is no evidence of persons having become infected from exposure to the bodies of persons who died from Covid-19,” the virus was relatively new to the scientific community which became aware of its existence only about three months ago.
As a result, issues such as how it would interact with the environment following burial are unknown. He also pointed out that arranging for burials in a few selected safe and secure locations would mean having to transport bodies over long distances, resulting in the possibility of exposing more people to the virus. Because of these and other reasons burial was not a practical option in Sri Lanka, Dr. Jasinghe, who has won accolades for his calm demeanour and matter of fact approach to the crisis, explained.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Health was to update its guidelines for the disposal of bodies of persons dying from corona virus infections. These guidelines state that remains of all those who succumb to the disease would be cremated within 24 hours. The body should never be washed under any circumstances and it has to be placed in a sealed body bag and a coffin. The disposal of bodies must be monitored by police, the Ministry of Health and public health inspectors, the guideline states.
SLMC leader Hakeem’s stance attracted widespread attention from media outlets overseas which were critical of Sri Lanka’s stance. At the same time, the issue also became a target for vilification of the Muslim community in social media posts in Sri Lanka. The Government was keen to prevent its fight against the pandemic deteriorating in to a communal issue, with the added risk of the Muslim community shying away from seeking treatment for the illness, as a result.
There were other political implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. That related to the conduct of the General Election which was originally scheduled for April 25. This has now been indefinitely postponed by the Elections Commission (EC) because of the current crisis.
Last week, EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya wrote to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa noting that there was a constitutional requirement that, following the dissolution of Parliament, a newly elected Parliament must meet within three months of the date of dissolution.
This is according to Article 70(5)(a) of the Constitution which states that, “A Proclamation dissolving Parliament shall fix a date or dates for the election of Members of Parliament, and shall summon the new Parliament to meet on a date not later than three months after the date of such Proclamation.” This meant that, with Parliament being dissolved on March 2, the newly elected Parliament must convene by June 2, 2020.
Adhering to this timeline will now be impossible. The EC has calculated that even in the highly unlikely event that the Coronavirus crisis subsides in the next two weeks, it would still not have sufficient lead up time to prepare for and conduct a general election. It also appears that the Constitution does not have any provision to postpone elections indefinitely in emergency situations such as the current crisis.
The EC has therefore requested President Rajapaksa to consult the Attorney General and consider the option of seeking an opinion from the Supreme Court regarding the constitutional conundrum that is very likely to ensue. The Supreme Court is tasked by the Constitution as the authority responsible for interpretation of the Constitution, where necessary.
EC Chairman Deshapriya was also to caution political parties regarding converting the crisis over the corona virus pandemic into a political exercise, noting that some politicians resorted to social media to seek political gains from distributing relief for those facing hardship due to the curfew and the lack of employment.
“The efforts of various stakeholders of society including religious leaders, the business community, political parties, civil society organisations and others coming forward to provide relief to those affected by the Covid 19 pandemic are praiseworthy. However, it is unacceptable to seek political mileage out of the current situation when the entire country is fighting to defeat a virus,” Deshapriya said.
Mainstream political parties, to their credit, have steered clear of playing politics over the Coronavirus crisis, although a few regional politicians may have done so. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had a meeting with leaders of major political parties. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, accompanied by the Prime Minister Rajapaksa and the head of the Presidential Task Force on the Covid crisis, Basil Rajapaksa, met with representatives of the United National Party. A few days later, they also met with Samagi Jana Balavegaya leader Sajith Premadasa and its general secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara.
On Tuesday night Premier Rajapaksa made a special address to the nation, thanking those on the frontline battling the Coronavirus crisis. The Prime Minister also noted that all political party leaders have come forward to support the government in the fight against corona virus. “We have only one common enemy at the moment and it is the Coronavirus,” Prime Minister Rajapaksa said, urging the public to set aside any divisions among them.
On reviewing the events of the past few weeks, experts are of the opinion that the Government and the health sector have done a commendable job in containing the Coronavirus epidemic to manageable proportions. However, they also warn that the worse may not be over yet, particularly if restrictions are relaxed and the public is allowed to return to a ‘normal’ lifestyle.
That is why they are keen to ensure that the strictest restrictions are still in place in the days to come when the country enters what would have otherwise been the highpoint of its holiday season- the Easter break followed by the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
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