Amid an economic crisis and protests over a lack of electricity, fuel, and rising costs, the president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, faces calls to step down.
Source: Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Facebook
But right before he was due to announce his resignation on 13 Jul, he flew to the Maldives with his family on a military plane.
Reuters reported that the 73-year-old will head to Singapore afterwards, but is currently stranded in the Maldives as he had concerns about flying with civilian passengers.
According to Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror, Mr Rajapaksa is currently still in the Maldives after he missed a commercial flight to Singapore. He is reportedly waiting for a private jet.
Citing an anonymous government source, Reuters reported that Mr Rajapaksa may send his resignation after he lands in Singapore.
He had said on 9 Jul that he would resign on 13 Jul but flew to the Maldives on a military jet with his family in the early hours of the morning.
If he had resigned before leaving the country, he could risk detention.
Mr Rajapaksa was voted in as the president in 2019. However, a deepening economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic has led to spiralling instability in the country.
Soon after he entered office, Mr Rajapaksa’s government implemented tax cuts. Unfortunately, they later ran out of foreign exchange reserves as the pandemic took a toll.
It got to the point where the government could not pay for basic necessities such as fuel and food. Inflation reportedly reached 54.6% in June.
Protests erupted last month, demanding for the government to step down.
Mr Rajapaksa is the first Sri Lankan president to be ousted mid-term. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe became acting president in his place yesterday (13 Jul), noted The Business Times.
Source: MEA India on Flickr
Mr Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency the same day. He has also announced his intention to step down if a unity government can be formed, according to AFP.
For that to happen, Mr Rajapaksa will have to officially submit his resignation.
It is never a good thing to see helpless civilians facing shortages of basic necessities like food due to an economic collapse.
Our hearts go out to those who are struggling in these tough times.
Hopefully, with a new government in place, they can take gradual steps to steer Sri Lanka out of its economic crisis.
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Featured image adapted from Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Facebook.
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