Rajapaksa refuses to resign
Sri Lanka’s political situation remains at an impasse following mass protests. Opposition parties refuse a national unity government and call on the president to quit. Meanwhile, the ruling coalition has lost its parliamentary majority. Led by Cardinal Ranjith, clergy held silent protests in the Archdiocese of Colombo, urging political leaders to “listen to the voice of the people”.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – There is no solution in sight for Sri Lanka’s economic and political crisis.
Today a leading member of the ruling coalition, Johnston Fernando, said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa “will not resign under any circumstances.”
However, the same ruling coalition yesterday lost its majority in parliament, after 41 MPs from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party of former president Maithripala Sirisena withdrew their support.
Earlier, opposition parties rejected Rajapaksa's offer to join a government of national unity, demanding his resignation instead.
On Sunday, all the ministers in the Sri Lankan cabinet resigned, except for Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president’s brother.
Over the past several weeks, Sri Lanka has been shaken by protests caused by shortages of basic items. Protests continue unabated despite a curfew imposed on 1 April.
In light of the crisis, members of the Catholic clergy held a silent protest yesterday in the Archdiocese of Colombo urging the government to "listen to the voice of the people”
The protest included a prayer for the country and in solidarity with the people affected.
Card Malcolm Ranjith took part in the rally along with the auxiliary bishops of Colombo Maxwell Silva, Anthony Jayakody and Anton Ranjith.
Priests and men and women religious recited the rosary and held signs in Sinhala, English and Tamil that highlighted the problems people are going through.
At the end of the march, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Colombo, Fr Camillus Fernando, told media that Sri Lanka has lost many good potential leaders due to terrorism and short-sighted politics and we miss them today.
“This is a country with a very educated population,” he explained. “Therefore, we urge rulers to select the right people and take steps to recover from this dangerous situation”.
The Kithu Dana Pubuduwa charismatic community also held a prayer walk in the Diocese of Chilaw.
Noting how the country is nurtured by four religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, the group called on Sri Lankans to “correctly follow the teachings of these religions to rebuild the country.”
Colombo’s Methodist Churches also staged their own silent protest to “speak out for those who cannot speak out for the rights of all the destitute.”
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14/07/2022 16:19
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