Namal Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs and son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, has resigned from all his portfolios.
“I have informed the sec. to the President of my resignation from all portfolios with immediate effect, in hope that it may assist HE & PMs decision to establish stability for the people & the govt of #LKA. I remain committed to my voters, my party & the people of #Hambanthota,” Namal Rajapaksa said in a tweet. This comes hours after Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday refuted reports of the resignation of PM Rajapaksa and termed them “false” adding that there were no such plans at present.
Sri Lanka is presently facing a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a food, fuel, power, and gas shortage and has sought economic assistance from friendly countries. The island nation’s currency has also been devalued by almost SLR 90 against the US dollar since March 8 and it is witnessing long hours of power cuts.
Almost an hour later, Sri Lanka’s entire Cabinet Ministers apart from Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to resign.
They have all signed a general letter, consenting to resign paving the way for a new cabinet to be formed, the English language newspaper Daily Mirror reported.
Confirming this development, MP Dinesh Gunawardena said Mahinda Rajapaksa will continue to function and all other members of the cabinet have tendered resignation to the PM, News Wire reported.
Following the mass resignation of his Cabinet ministers, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa named at least four ministers, to maintain legitimacy and stability of Parliament and other functions of the country until a full Cabinet is appointed.
The President replaced his brother Basil Rajapaksa and named Ali Sabry, as previous Minister of Justice, as the new Finance Minister, according to President’s media division. The four new ministers were sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday.
Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in as the Minister of Education and Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando was sworn in as the Minister of Highways, Colombo Post reported.
Prof G.L. Peiris was re-appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Leader of the House, Dinesh Gunawardena said the President made these appointments this morning to maintain government affairs until a full permanent Cabinet is appointed.
Rajapaksa has invited all political parties in the country to accept ministerial portfolios and work together to find a solution to the national crisis.
In a letter, the President said that the current crisis was the result of several economic and global concerns and that a solution needs to be found within the democratic process of the country. As one of the leading democracies in Asia, it needs to be addressed within the framework of democracy itself, the letter stated, adding that “together we must work together in the national interest for benefit of citizens and future generations.”
A permanent cabinet will be appointed after discussions with the political parties, the Colombo Post added further.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Opposition leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Sajith Premadasa urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help their nation to the maximum possible extent.
The Opposition leader said, “Please try and help Sri Lanka to the maximum possible extent. This is our motherland and we need to save it.” While responding to the parties’ readiness to participate in an election, if it takes place, Premadasa said that he and his party are ready to contest the election.
“I can tell you, I myself and we all have been ready ever since we entered social service and political service. We are ready for any eventuality,” he said.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan MP termed the Cabinet Ministers’ resignation a melodrama. “The melodrama is being enacted to fool the people of the country. There’s no genuine effort to bring sanity to our society and relief to the people. It’s an exercise to fool the people.”
Reiterating opposition parties’ demands, Premadasa said, “We’re seeking immediate relief for the people. We want to protect the lives of the people and their rights.”
Premadasa said that the people in the country are asking for a change in the government to bring relief from the economic crisis.
“The whole country is calling for wholesale change. What we ask for is a pathbreaking wholesale change that brings relief to the country, not relief to politicians. We don’t want a game of musical chairs where politicians exchange their positions,” he added.
The streets of Colombo wore a deserted look on Sunday, as a curfew was imposed on the city on top of a 36-hour nationwide curfew already in force after protests outside the residence of President Rajapaksa. Protests staged by the public were reported from small streets, apartment complexes, and multiple areas around the country.
The government on Saturday blocked access to social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube, but lifted the ban on Sunday afternoon after Namal Rajapaksa spoke against it.
“I will never condone the blocking of social media. The availability of VPN, just like I’m using now, makes such bans completely useless. I urge the authorities to think more progressively and reconsider this decision,” Namal had tweeted.
Meanwhile, the 36-hour curfew that was imposed on Sri Lanka on Saturday evening at 6 pm was lifted on Monday morning at 6 am but the country is still under a state of emergency.