Agitated over the deepening economic crisis in Sri Lanka, a group of protesters used a projector last night to reflect a bold message for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his grand office building.
A video of the incident was shared on Twitter by news agency ANI. The clip shows the main entrance of the Sri Lankan President's Office. After a few seconds, we can see the projector flashing a text on the building, reading “Go Home Gota” -- an apparent reference to President Rajapaksa.
President Rajapaksa, four members of whose family were a part of Sri Lanka's cabinet, came under fire as the country's economic crisis deepened. As the situation worsened, calls for his resignation became louder but he refused to step down. The entire Cabinet – except for President Rajapaksa and his elder brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa – resigned. The government today appointed 17 new cabinet ministers and Prime Minister Rajapaksa is the only member of the family to retain a post in the new cabinet.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. Severe shortages of essential goods and gasoline and regular blackouts have caused widespread protest in the island nation.
The economy has been in a free fall since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The country's tourism sector, one of the biggest revenue earners for the country, has been hit badly. The government's decision to ban the use of chemical fertilisers further aggravated the already fragile agriculture sector.
Sri Lanka's foreign exchange reserve has plummeted to an unprecedented level, forcing it to cut down on import fuel, leading to the rationing of fuel for vehicles. Faced with immense hardships, people have come out on the streets and have been demonstrating against the Rajapaksa government for two weeks.
The government has urged its citizens abroad to donate foreign exchange to help pay for desperately needed essentials. It has announced a default on its entire external debt and is seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
