Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday invited all political parties in the country to join the government, work together and find a solution for the ongoing economic crisis in the country. This comes a day after the entire cabinet of Sri Lanka, except Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned from their position amid the ongoing unrest in the island nation.
“Current crisis is due to several economic and global factors. As one of the leading democracies in Asia,it needs to be addressed within framework of democracy itself. Together we must work together in national interest for benefit of citizens and future generations,” he said in his letter, as reported by news agency ANI.
Here are the top developments from the Sri Lankan Economic Crisis:
– All 26 ministers, including Prime Minister Rajapaksa’s eldest son Namal Rajapaksa, have resigned from their positions. Although the ministers didn’t reveal the reason of their mass resignation, experts say that the government was under intense pressure from the public over its alleged “mishandling” of the crisis.
– Namal Rajapaksa, who was country’s Youth and Sports Minister, also tweeted about his resignation, saying he is committed to his voters and the people of Hambanthota. “I have informed the sec. to the President of my resignation from all portfolios with immediate effect, in hope that it may assist HE and PMs decision to establish stability for the people and the government of LKA.”
– According to media reports, Prime Minister Rajapaksa also met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after the mass resignation of his ministers, leading to speculations that he might also resign from his position.
– Earlier, Weerasangilige Wimal Weerawansha – Sri Lanka’s former minister – had met President Gotabaya and urged him to call an all-party meet and appoint an interim government to deal with the current crisis.
– Speaking to reporters, Weerawansha on Sunday said he has recieved a positive response from the President. “Given the present situation in the country, we believe that the existing Cabinet of Ministers cannot function to address these crises. Therfore, we call for the Cabinet to be disbanded and reach for an all-party or multi-party agreement for an interim government,” he said, according to local media reports.
– According to AFP, trading has also been halted on the Sri Lankan stock exchange after a plunge of 5.9 per cent.
– Earlier, Sri Lanka had declared a state of emergency and imposed a 36-hour curfew after protesters surrounded the private residence of Rajapaksa on March 31. Later, a complete ban on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube was also imposed.
– Sri Lanka is going through its worst economic crisis and protesters have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Rajapaksa. “#GoHomeRajapaksas” and “#GotaGoHome” have also been trending for days on social media platforms in Sri Lanka.
– However, Rajapaksa has defended his government, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven where the island’s tourism revenue and inward remittances waning.
