Opinion As economic crisis spirals in Sri Lanka, administration should desist from extending emergency powers, restricting civil liberties

The economic distress in Sri Lanka is spiraling into a political crisis. On Sunday, the Mahinda Rajapaksa ministry resigned en masse to allow the prime minister to reconstitute the cabinet. The governor of the central bank has also put in his papers after taking the blame for economic mismanagement. The situation had taken a turn for the worse on Thursday after protestors encircled the presidential palace demanding that Gotabaya Rajapaksa should resign. With the slogan “Gota Go Home” reverberating in the streets of Colombo, the administration has invoked emergency laws and declared curfew in the city. The anger on the street has singled out the Rajapkasa clan for the mess — the four brothers, Gotabaya, Mahinda, Chamal and Basil, are in government —which, perhaps, is why the president has pleaded with the Opposition to join a national government. However, the latter has rejected the proposal, apparently unwilling to share the responsibility for the crisis with the Rajapaksas, in office since 2019.

Multiple factors have contributed to the current crisis in Colombo. Besides short-sighted and reckless borrowing to build infrastructure projects that have since turned into white elephants and restrictions on fertiliser imports, unexpected events such as the 2019 Easter bombings and the pandemic have contributed to the collapse of the economy. There is a grave shortage of food, fuel and electricity. The credit line and supply of essential goods from India should help to ease the situation, but a drastic restructuring of the economy could become necessary. Meanwhile, the government needs to address the public unrest over high inflation and shortages carefully and sensitively. The administration should be careful not to extend emergency powers or restrict civil liberties. Sri Lanka has been down that path before, with disastrous consequences. The refusal to decentralise and share political power had ended in the civil war that lasted nearly three decades. Similarly, the state’s violent crackdown on the ultra-left Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s insurrections left the southern districts bruised. The long years of emergency during the war caused the militarisation of the society and curtailment of civil rights. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had started out as a grass roots politician and trade unionist, and his brothers, have a record of ignoring civic freedoms while in office in the war years. However, the halo of winning the war against Tamil Tigers allowed them to escape censure then.

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Gotabaya Rajapaksa won a decisive mandate in 2019 with the promise to heal the scars of the Easter bombings. That popularity has dissipated with the economic crisis. He needs help from across the political spectrum to restore and repair. The appeal to the Opposition to join his government is a promising beginning, but he may need to do more to convince his detractors of his intent. India, meanwhile, should deliver on the promised aid, for its commitment is to the people of a neighbouring and friendly nation.

This editorial first appeared in the print edition on April 5, 2022 under the title ‘Sliding in Lanka’.