Besieged Sri Lankan president Gotabaya calls 42 MPs for talks

In a bid to find a solution to the current crisis in the country, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has invited the 11-party coalition allies, comprising 42 independent MPs, for a discussion on the country’s worst economic crisis, according to a media report. The meeting between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and President Rajapaksa is scheduled to be held at 7 pm this evening.

The information of the meeting was given by former President and SLFP leader Maithripala Siriserna. Addressing the media at the party office on Sunday morning, he said the main objective of the meeting was to coerce President Rajapaksa to form an interim administration under an all-party Cabinet sans Rajapaksas, reported Daily Mirror.

“Before the interim administration is set up, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution must be re-introduced with added powers to curtail the executive powers of the executive presidency,” he added.

‘Go Gota Go’

These political developments happened even as Sri Lankan protesters occupied the entrance to the president’s office for a second day on Sunday. They were demanding the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the country’s economic crisis. ‘Go Gota Go’ was the warring cry of hundreds of protestors out in the streets of Colombo.

Demonstrators weathered heavy rain with raincoats and umbrellas and chanted anti-government slogans. Some called for the entire Parliament to disband to make way for a younger leadership, reported The Times of India.

It seems that the protests and agitations against the President and the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) government will not subside as long as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains in power, reported Daily Mirror.

“But it is a long process and takes time. The people need immediate solutions to their current grievances such as the power outage, the skyrocketing price of essential commodities, food shortage, the ever-escalating Cost of Living and many more. If we are to find immediate solutions to these pressing issues, first and foremost action must be taken to form a stable government,” Sirisena said. The SLFP is of the view that an all-party interim government with no involvement of the Rajapaksa clan will win public confidence, Daily Mirror reported.

Former PM accuses govt

Meanwhile, former Prime minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, accused the incumbent government of plunging the country into a deep economic and political crisis with its “incompetence in dealing with the financial challenges” while also stating that the utter failure has led to a situation where the people are standing in long queues.

Wickremesinghe told ANI that when he was the PM in 2019 the country’s economy was in healthy status with capital surplus but the incompetency of the current government has brought the people on the streets, reports NDTV.

On the government’s decision to go the IMF for relief, he said that it will take a long time for any meaningful relief to come even if the government approaches the IMF. “I don’t think that the government has enough resources left in the reserves and now they seek to borrow from the leading export companies to pay the bills. The line of credit for fuel extended by India will last till the second week of May,” NDTV quoted Wickremesinghe as saying.