The economic crisis that has plagued Sri Lanka for several months has sparked an unprecedented protest movement since the island’s independence in 1948, culminating on Saturday with the occupation of the official residence and the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Who are the Rajapaksa brothers?
Head of State since 2019, Gotabaya Rajapaksa (73 years old) is a member of the clan that has ruled Sri Lankan political life for decades.
The leader of the clan, his brother Mahinda (76 years old), was the country’s president from 2005 to 2015. A decade in which the country’s debt to China has risen amid pharaonic infrastructure projects and suspicions of corruption.
Mahinda won the respect of the ethnic Sinhalese majority by defeating the Tamil Tigers guerrillas in 2009, ending 37 years of civil war. His brother, nicknamed the “Terminator” (referring to the movie “Terminator”), was his right-hand man, secretary of the Department of Defense and in charge of the Armed Forces and police.
When Gotabaya took power, he appointed his brother prime minister, but Mahinda was forced to resign in May after violent clashes between security forces and protesters left nine dead.
What is the source of the economic crisis?
The vital tourism sector was doubly hit by the coronavirus pandemic and extremist attacks on hotels and churches (279 deaths, including 45 foreigners) in April 2019.
In addition, after assuming the presidency, Gotabaya’s substantial tax cuts dried up the country’s public coffers, which left no foreign currency to import from food to fuel.
Despite receiving aid from India and other countries in April 2022, the country cannot pay its foreign debt.
How is the population?
The island’s 22 million inhabitants have been suffering from food, medicine, power outages and fuel shortages for several months.
And high inflation (55% in June) is exorbitantly priced on the few affordable products.
The UN has already warned that the country is at risk of a serious humanitarian crisis and that 75% of the population is not eating enough.
And the political situation?
After months of protests, protesters stormed the presidential palace on 9 July. The president was forced to flee and announced his intention to resign next week.
Parliament will have a month to choose a successor, but the Speaker of the House promised that the decision will be announced by the end of the week.
It’s a promise that will be hard to keep, because at the moment no parliamentarian seems to have enough support to take office.
“We are heading towards a dangerous period of uncertainty,” Dharmalingam Sithadthan, a Tamil minority MP, told AFP.
“Gotabaya would have had to resign immediately to avoid a power vacuum,” he added.
source: Noticias
[author_name]
