Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday lost his parliamentary majority as a group of lawmakers from the ruling party and its allies sat independently in the House, deserting the government that is facing enormous public criticism for “mishandling” the economic crisis.
Over 42 MPs, including some from key partner Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), quit the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna-led alliance, and the government lost its majority in the 225-member legislature. Their defection signalled the collapse of a government that, in 2020, fetched a formidable two-thirds majority. However, there is no vote of confidence scheduled yet to test the strength of the government or opposition .
Mass resignations
The Sri Lankan President’s attempt to appoint a “new” Cabinet after mass resignations appears to have backfired, with the newly appointed Finance Minister Ali Sabry resigning barely 24 hours after his appointment. Top bureaucrat and Secretary to the Sri Lankan Treasury and Finance Ministry SR Attygalle resigned on Tuesday, resulting in two crucial positions falling vacant during a dire economic crisis.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), from which Sri Lanka has sought support, on Tuesday said that it is monitoring political and economic developments in Sri Lanka “very closely” amid growing public unrest.
“IMF staff is looking forward to program discussions with the authorities, including during the visit of the newly appointed Finance Minister to Washington later this month,” the IMF Sri Lanka mission chief was quoted as saying. With Sabry’s resignation, Sri Lanka does not have a Finance Minister as of Tuesday.
The Parliament will convene on Wednesday to debate the country’s economic crisis that has resulted in severe shortage of essentials for citizens and skyrocketing prices. It has also led to a spontaneous eruption of street protests, with citizens demanding that the President step down.
‘Weakening of checks and balances’
As protests swell in different parts of Sri Lanka despite the police attempting to disperse crowds with water cannons and tear gas in some areas, the Ministry of Defence urged citizens to not resort to violence.
“I further emphasise that security forces will not hesitate to enforce the law against those involving in violence,” said General GDH Kamal Gunaratne (Retd), Secretary, Ministry of Defence, in a statement.
The UN on Tuesday expressed concern over “excessive and unwarranted police violence” against protesters.
A UNHRC spokesperson said, “The drift towards militarisation and the weakening of institutional checks and balances in Sri Lanka have affected the State’s ability to effectively tackle the economic crisis.”
(Meera Srinivasan is The Hindu Correspondent in Colombo)