Former finance minister Basil has also resigned his seat in parliament, downplaying his responsibility in the economic crisis that has brought the population to its knees. But the head of state says he cannot leave office in defeat and wants to finish his term. Protesters' anger: 'He admits in his own words that he has failed miserably'.
Colombo (AsiaNews) - After Prime Minister Mahinda, another one of the Rajapaksa brothers has left office: the younger Basil Rajapaksa, former Finance Minister and founder of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), a party that still - together with its allies - holds the majority of seats in parliament. At a press conference on 9 June, the politician announced his resignation from his parliamentary seat, while downplaying his role in the extremely serious financial crisis affecting the country. He did not, however, rule out his return in the future, thus hinting that this is by no means an abandonment of politics.
On Monday, 6 June, the other elder brother, Sri Lankan President Gotabaja Rajapaksa, reaffirmed his intention to complete the remaining two years of his mandate, despite the street protests that have been calling for his ouster for months. 'I cannot leave as a failed president,' he said in an interview with foreign media. 'I was given a five-year term, I will focus on solving the crisis. But I will not run again'.
The president's statements provoked strong reactions among the movements that have been animating protests in Colombo for months now. 'Gotabaya Rajapaksa,' the president of the We Women Lanka organisation, Geetha Lakmini, told AsiaNews, 'has told the world in his own words that he has failed miserably. Whether she admits it or not, this is the truth. The idea that, as a failed leader, he cannot resign is nonsense. He should resign without further killing the country and its people'.
Laveena Hasanthi, coordinator of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement, added to Asia News: 'His rigidity in not listening to public opinion is an abyss for all the people. People are suffering today for not being able to eat and drink, without gas, baby food, powdered milk, medicine and other essentials. These rulers do not feel their pain, they only try to maintain power with greed. That is why the people's protest must intensify even more".
Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are seeking billions of dollars in aid from the International Monetary Fund and countries like India and China. The Sri Lankan rupee has lost about 82% in the last year and the country's debt is in deep trouble.
'The new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, an ally of the Rajapaksas, should also resign,' protests Dulmini Silva, a young social activist. We have to be able to live like human beings in this country: our children need a future'.