Opposition leader and Member of Parliament (MP) of Sri Lanka, Sajith Premadasa claims that the Cabinet Ministers’ resignation is a melodrama staged to deceive the country’s people.
In an interview with ANI, the Opposition Leader stated, “The melodrama is being staged to deceive the country’s citizens. There is no serious effort to restore rationality and relief to our society and people. It’s a ruse to deceive the public.”
Premadasa reiterated the demands of opposition parties, saying, “We are looking for quick help for the people. We want to ensure that people’s lives and rights are protected.” Sri Lanka is amid a severe economic crisis, with food and fuel shortages affecting a substantial portion of the population.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy has been in free collapse, resulting in a tourism crash. Sri Lanka is also experiencing a foreign exchange crisis, which has hampered the country’s ability to purchase food and gasoline, resulting in power outages. Sri Lanka was forced to seek aid from friendly countries due to a shortage of basic products.
According to Premadasa, the administration is unable to address the people’s problems. He stated that the people of the country are demanding a change in administration to alleviate the country’s economic predicament.
“The entire country is asking for a complete overhaul. What we demand is a paradigm-shifting wholesale change that benefits the country rather than politicians. We don’t want a game of musical chairs in which politicians switch places ,” He further added.
Twenty-six members of Sri Lanka’s Cabinet resigned on Sunday, amid mounting public outrage over the government’s handling of the country’s economic crisis. According to the English-language publication Daily Mirror, all of Sri Lanka’s Cabinet ministers have signed a general letter consenting to retire, paving the way for a new Cabinet to be made up.
According to News Wire, MP Dinesh Gunawardena confirmed this event, saying that Mahinda Rajapaksa will remain in office and that the other members of the Cabinet have presented their resignations to the PM.
Meanwhile, the 36-hour curfew imposed on Sri Lanka on Saturday at 6 p.m. lifted at 6 a.m. on Monday, but the country remains under a state of emergency. Protests are taking place in Sri Lanka over the government’s handling of the economic crisis. On Saturday, India supplied 40,000 MT of diesel to Sri Lanka to help ease the island’s power crisis.
It was the fourth consignment of fuel provided to Colombo as part of India’s US $500 million oil line of credit (LoC) with Sri Lanka. In addition, over the last 50 days, India has delivered around 200,000 MT of gasoline to the island nation.
Published By: Apoorva Wakodikar
Edited By: Khushi Thakur
