new Delhi: A day after Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers resigned following protests over the deepening economic crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday (April 4, 2022) called for a unity government to help the debt-ridden country.
“The president invites all political parties represented in parliament to come together to accept ministerial positions to find a solution to this national crisis,” Rajapaksa’s media office said in a statement.
“Acknowledging this as a national need, the time has come for all citizens and future generations to work together,” the statement said.
Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers resigns
Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers, including the prime minister’s son Resigned on Sunday night after protests over the deepening economic crisis in the country,
I have informed the secretary. To the President for my resignation from all departments with immediate effect, hope it may aid the decision of His Excellency and the Prime Minister to establish stability for the people and the Government #lka, I am committed to my voters, my party and its people. #Hambanthota,
— Namal Rajapaksa (@RajapaksaNamal) 3 April 2022
Speaking to reporters, Education Minister and Leader of the House, Dinesh Gunavardhan said that the cabinet ministers submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. However, he did not give any reason for the mass resignation.
36 hours curfew lifted
A 36-hour curfew imposed in Sri Lanka in the wake of political unrest has been lifted on Monday. All public transport, including trains, Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and private buses, resumed their services after the government-imposed nationwide curfew was lifted on Saturday.
Protesters defy nationwide curfew, protest
Despite the imposition of curfew, widespread mass protests were witnessed throughout the evening on Sunday. Sri Lankan police fired tear gas and water cannons Hundreds of university students during a protest in the Central Provinces.
Angry people are demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and protesting the government’s poor handling of the economic crisis, where people are currently facing prolonged power outages and essential commodities.
Sri Lankan government removed the block on social media platforms
On Sunday afternoon, the Sri Lankan government lifted a block imposed hours ago on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. Telecom Regulatory Commission Chairman Jayanta de Silva said, The measures were taken on the instructions of the Ministry of Defense And for the purpose of “keeping calm”.
The development comes after Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday after protesting the economic hardship being faced by the people of the country.
The reason behind Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis
critics say The roots of the crisis, the worst in decades, lie in economic mismanagement by successive governments, which accumulated huge budget shortfalls and a current account deficit.
Rajapaksa intensified the crisis with deep tax cuts implemented during the 2019 election campaign and months before the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out parts of Sri Lanka’s economy.
(with agency input)