As Sri Lanka continues to grapple with an unprecedented economic crisis, speaker of the country’s parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, on Wednesday painted a doomsday scenario where starvation and power outages would be common across the island nation of 22 million. Meanwhile, queues for fuel got longer and religious leaders joined protesters on streets.
Addressing the parliament at the beginning of a two-day debate, Abeywardana said, “We are told this is the worst crisis, but I think this is just the beginning. Shortage of food, gas and electricity will get worse. There will be starvation. ” The legislators had insisted on a debate on the emergency decree during this week’s session of parliament.
On Tuesday, the Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led coalition government lost its majority after his political allies deserted him and demanded his resignation. On Wednesday, highways minister Johnston Fernando told the parliament that Gotabaya Rajapaksa would not resign under any circumstance as he was elected by the people. “Rajapaksa will not resign. We will face this. We have the strength to face this. We are not afraid,” said the minister.
Hours earlier, on Tuesday night, Rajapaksa lifted the state of emergency that he had declared last week after protesters rioted near his house in Colombo. The emergency declaration, criticised by the opposition and the public, gave him sweeping powers to act to protect public security, including suspending any laws, authorising detentions and seizing property. Members of parliament urged the speaker to ensure their safety. “We are ready to face anyone who comes to attack us,” Fernanado said in parliament, even as protests by students, lawyers, government staff and public continued across the country. Scores of doctors took out a protest march urging the government to resolve the problem of medicine shortage in hospitals.
Members of the opposition sustained their demand for the resignation of the president and his older brother and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Five other family members are lawmakers, including Basil, Chamal and Namal Rajapaksa. The government is in search of a new finance minister after Ali Sabry’s resignation on Tuesday. Sabry lasted only a day in the post after he replaced Basil when Gotabaya dissolved his cabinet on Monday.