Sri Lankan Opposition leader said the cabinet resignation is being enacted to fool the people of the country, reports Asian Lite News
A 36-hour curfew which was imposed in Sri Lanka in the wake of the political unrest, was lifted on Monday, with public transportation resuming normal services.
All public transportation, including trains, Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), and private buses, resumed their services from 6 a.m. after the islandwide curfew imposed by the government on Saturday was lifted, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Accordingly, Railways Deputy General Manager Gamini Seneviratne said all office trains were back on track as usual, but long distance trains were delayed by an hour.
While the SLTB said their buses were operating as per the scheduled time tables, private bus owners said that only 15 per cent of the existing fleet have resumed services.
The development comes in the wake of a political turmoil in the island nation.
Following anti-government protests against the ongoing economic crisis, the Sri Lankan Cabinet resigned en masse on Sunday night, except Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Prime Minister are scheduled to meet on Monday morning and decide the future of the government.
However, the decisions on resignations of the state ministers were yet to be finalised.
Amid growing public protest a number of ruling coalition parties had insisted to dissolve the cabinet and form an interim government with the consent of all parties, including the opposition.
Dollar crunch, mainly due to foreign borrowings, led to Sri Lanka’s massive economic downfall.
The country was forced to ask for financial assistance from neighbouring countries mainly for the supply of essentials like fuel, power, LPG and food.
For months, people have been queuing for fuel and LPG, while also undergoing 13-hour power cuts.
Oppn alleges govt ploy
Claiming that the Cabinet Ministers’ resignation is a melodrama, Sri Lankan Opposition leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Sajith Premadasa said the drama is being enacted to fool the people of the country.
Speaking to ANI, the Opposition leader said, “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.”
Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of the people in the island nation. The economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the crash of tourism.
Sri Lanka is also facing a foreign exchange shortage, which has, incidentally, affected its capacity to import food and fuel, leading to the power cuts in the country. The shortage of essential goods forced Sri Lanka to seek assistance from friendly countries.
Premadasa said that the government isn’t able to address the woes of the people.
He 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.