Lanka Crisis: Rajapaksa’s Grip On Power Weakens; Fin Min Resigns Within 24 Hrs Of Appointment

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's government on Tuesday faced more trouble after the newly-appointed Finance Minister Ali Sabry resigned and dozens of lawmakers walked out of the ruling coalition amid nationwide protests over the country's worst economic crisis. President Rajapaksa had appointed Sabry after sacking his brother Basil Rajapaksa, who was at the centre of anger within the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) coalition. In a letter to the President, Sabri said that he took up the job as part of a temporary measure. "However, after much reflection and deliberation and taking into consideration the current situation, I am now of the view for Your Excellency to make suitable interim arrangement to navigate the unprecedented crisis fresh and proactive, and unconventional steps needs to be taken including the appointment of a new finance minister,” Sabry said in the letter. He was among the four new ministers appointed by the President who dissolved his cabinet on Monday and sought to form a unity government.

Meanwhile, a group of over 50 lawmakers who supported the government on Tuesday decided to function as an Independent Group in Parliament unless the government resigns and hands over the ruling powers to a capable group, former state minister Nimal Lanza was quoted as saying by the Daily News. Former minister Wimal Weerawansa also announced MPs who were part of the government from 10 parties will leave the government and remain independent. A four-day session of the Parliament started Tuesday morning during which the Opposition raised objections to going ahead with the day’s agenda in the absence of relevant cabinet ministers. It was the first session since a state of emergency was declared by President Rajapaksa last week. "We have a problem in continuing with the day’s agenda as subject ministers have not been named,” Opposition’s senior leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Speaker. Another opposition leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that Parliament must appoint a replacement for the deputy speaker as Ranjith Siyambalapitiya had resigned following the government ally and former president Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s decision to act independent of the ruling coalition. Main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa urged the government to pay heed to the protesters whom he said have suffered with hardships experienced recently.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeyawardene summoned a meeting of the party leaders to decide on a two-day debate on the current economic and political crisis which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. The ruling coalition, which had won 150 seats in the 2020 general elections and went on to increase its numbers through defections from the Opposition, lost the support of at least 41 MPs. The names of the 41 lawmakers to leave the coalition were announced by party leaders in Parliament. They have now become independent members, leaving Rajapaksa's government with fewer than the 113 members needed to maintain a majority in the 225-member house. The government, however, claimed that it commands simple majority.

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in history. With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts, the public has been suffering for months. The ruling coalition commanded 157 votes out of 225 at the last vote held on the government budget. However, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, a SLPP lawmaker, said that the government was rock solid with 138 members backing it. The President had invited the Opposition parties to join a unity Cabinet to tackle the raging public anger against the hardships caused by the economic crisis. But the Opposition parties rejected the offer. Despite the declaration of the state of emergency and a weekend curfew, people joined the protests calling for the resignation of Rajapaksa throughout the island on Tuesday. Protesters even blocked the access roads to parliament. The protests took place in all parts with a large crowd thronging opposite the prime minister’s official residence here.

In Parliament, several government members who were under siege from protests blamed planned action by the opposition groups to intimidate them in their homes. The forex crisis had also hit the foreign service. The foreign ministry said that it was closing the Sri Lankan missions in Oslo and Baghdad while shutting the consulate in Sydney. Following the 2019 Sri Lankan elections, the Rajapaksa family kept several portfolios in the government under their control. While President Rajapaksa holds the all-powerful executive presidency, his elder brother Mahinda, who is a former president, is the current prime minister. Basil held the finance ministry and Mahinda's son Namal, the heir apparent, was the minister of youth and sports. India recently announced to extend a USD 1 billion line of credit to Sri Lanka as part of its financial assistance to the country to deal with the economic crisis following a previous USD 500 billion line of credit in February to help it purchase petroleum products. During his recently-concluded visit to Colombo, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had assured India’s continued support in Sri Lanka’s economic recovery process. President Rajapaksa has defended his government's actions, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven with the island nation’s tourism revenue and inward remittances waning.

PTI INPUTS