President says he will leave his post to gain sympathy - Marikkar

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP S. M. Marikkar said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is deliberately expressing intentions to step down from his position merely to gain public sympathy.

He made these remarks in response to President's statement recently where he said that he was prepared to leave office if necessary.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has assured that he will not exercise his executive powers beyond the limits set by the Constitution.
The President made the remarks during a meeting with representatives of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) yesterday (12).

Responding to questions raised by journalists, the opposition lawmaker alleged that the President and the ruling National People's Power (NPP) government have failed to retain public goodwill due to economic mismanagement.

Marikkar alleged that the government caused a loss of approximately Rs. 14,000 million through the procurement of substandard coal shipments.

He also claimed that around 300 containers were brought into the country improperly and that a sum of USD 2.5 million went missing from the General Treasury.

Marikkar pointed out that the government has severely degraded the living standards of ordinary citizens.

He added that the government has misled the public with false promises and left them stranded amidst mounting economic pressures.

Owing to these critical failures, the opposition MP concluded that the President would fail to secure any form of sympathy from the public.