The four-months-old mass protests over the deepening economic crisis in Sri Lanka have resulted in the effective ouster of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led dispensation, seizure of his presidential palace by the people in a non-violent mode and the resignation of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe whose house has been set on fire. The collapse of the government is complete; and the Rajapaksa family that got back to power in 2019 is seen today as the villain of the piece. With the country’s external debts rising, the government has no funds to import fuel. Fuel stations ran dry and homes stopped getting their cooking gas. Every step by the government to ease the situation produced only negative results. The political leadership has let down Sri Lanka badly.
Quite a fall for a family that was the toast of the season after the Rajapaksas managed to brutally put down a decades-long separatist struggle by the Tamils of the north-eastern province and liquidated LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in 2009. While Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabaya were handed back power by the people after the 2019 Easter blasts by Islamists, they failed in almost every step forward. The economic crisis was worsening due also to the Covid19 surge that brought the money-spinning tourism sector to a standstill. Sri Lanka’s famous beaches where foreigners came in droves in the past wore a deserted look. The Ukraine war worsened the nation’s plight as fuel prices went up in the international market. Above all, the after-effects of the huge Chinese funding for Lanka’s infra projects added to the economic mess. The government’s withdrawal of money from the country’s foreign exchange reserves to foot fuel bills accentuated inflationary trends. Curbs on import of fertilizer, with a view to boosting natural farming, resulted in a huge fall in agricultural production. The situation was tailor-made for disaster.
The present offensive against the government was mostly peaceful as the entire people have turned against the dispensation. The police and the military in Sri Lanka were poorly trained; and it was with Pakistani military help that the Rajapaksas had neutralized the LTTE. This apart, the judiciary did not entertain a plea to ban protests in areas close to the seats of power. India that has extended a huge financial aid to Sri Lanka has made it clear it is on the “people’s side.” At the same time, backroom channels might be active. Pakistan is also faced with a serious economic crisis and peoples’ protests. It’s time to keep our fingers crossed for now.
