Lankan president calls for all-party govt to tackle economic crisis

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday (August 30) urged all political parties to join the government to unitedly tackle the economic crisis ailing the island country and prevent it from being used as a “tool of interference” by “strong economies.”

The president’s remark came as he presented the revised budget for 2022, and days after India and China had a spat over the docking of a high-tech Chinese ship Yuan Wang 5 at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port.

“We can no longer be a nation dependent on loan assistance. We can also no longer be used as a tool of interference by other countries with strong economies,” Wickremesinghe said without naming any country.

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“All this can be achieved, only if we work together in unity with common consent. I reiterate the invitation to all the parties represented in this Parliament to join an all-party government. Since this unprecedented situation is the responsibility of us all, and therefore need to prioritise the necessities of the country,” he added.

Sri Lanka granted the port access to the vessel from August 16 to 22.

There were apprehensions in New Delhi about the possibility of the Chinese vessels tracking systems attempting to snoop on Indian defence installations while being on its way to the Sri Lankan port.

India on Saturday hit back at China for alleging that it was “interfering” in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs, firmly telling Beijing that what Colombo needs now was “support, not unwanted pressure or unnecessary controversies” to serve another country’s agenda.

Since becoming stop-gap president to fill in the void left by his ousted predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa mid-July, Wickremesinghe’s efforts to bring in a government of unity had so far failed.

While some parties have flatly refused to join an all-party government, others have expressed reluctance to join due to their opposition to the government’s policies.

The proposal for an all-party government was mooted in early April amidst widespread public unrest over the previous government led by former President Rajapaksa’s mishandling of the economic crisis.

Rajapaksa’s call to form an all-party government was ignored by the opposition parties.

Sri Lanka has been witnessing one of the worst economic crises since its Independence in 1948. They have defaulted on international loans as well.

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis turned into a political crisis after thousands of youth-led apolitical protesters started street demonstrations in March this year, demanding the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his cabinet to resign after their failure in economic and fertilizer policies.

Also read: Sri Lanka okays Chinese research ship’s visit to Hambantota port despite India’s concern

The United Nations has warned that 5.7 million people require immediate humanitarian assistance, with Sri Lankans experiencing extreme shortages of essentials including food, fuel and medicines.

The new Sri Lankan government faces the task of leading the country out of its economic collapse and restoring order. Sri Lanka has seen months of mass unrest over the worst economic crisis, with the government declaring bankruptcy in mid-April by refusing to honour its international debt.

(With inputs from agencies)