Sri LankaTrade union and civil society activists led by leftists' People Liberation Front gather for a protest in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Hundreds of Sri Lankans Tuesday rallied against a government crackdown and the use of emergency laws against those who protested peacefully against the country’s worst economic crisis in recent memory. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)More
ERANGA JAYAWARDENA
Tue, August 9, 2022
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Hundreds of Sri Lankans on Tuesday rallied against a government crackdown and the use of emergency laws against peaceful protesters demanding answers to the country’s worst economic crisis.
Protesters led by religious and trade union leaders marched to the Independence Square in Colombo and made several demands to the government including the withdrawal of emergency laws, an end to the arrests of peaceful protesters, the immediate dissolution of Parliament and relief for those burdened by the hardship and shortages of basic supplies.
Four months of street protests culminated last month when former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to Singapore and resigned after demonstrators stormed his official home and occupied several key government buildings. His brother Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister in May and four other family members had quit as ministers before him.
Protesters accuse the Rajapaksa family of plunging the country into the crisis through mismanagement and corruption.
The former prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was elected by Parliament to complete Rajapaksa’s five-year term until 2024, but many of the protesters are unhappy with him and say he was backed by lawmakers who are still loyal to the Rajapaksas to protect the former ruling family from being held accountable.
Several groups had initially called a major rally to force Wickremesinghe out of office but a lack of support forced them to hold smaller protests. They called for a temporary government, the dissolution of Parliament and fresh elections.
Since his election, Wickremesinghe has authorized the military and police to violently dismantle protest camps and arrest those they identified to have trespassed the presidential palace and other state buildings.
Wickremesinghe on Tuesday visited the army headquarters and thanked soldiers who protected Parliament when protesters tried to enter last month.
“If we had lost Parliament, it would have created a big problem ... we would have lost the governance system that we know,” Wickremesinghe said, adding that now it was up to lawmakers to win over the confidence of the people.
Sri Lanka Presents Plan in Parliament to Cut President’s Powers
Asantha Sirimanne
Wed, August 10, 2022
(Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka’s government introduced a parliamentary proposal to curb the powers of the president’s office, the first step to reform a political system widely seen as responsible for tipping the country into economic chaos and bankruptcy.
The passing of the proposed constitutional amendment would be a win for President Ranil Wickremesinghe and buy him time to institute tough economic reforms to secure a bailout from the International Monetary Fund as the country struggles to find funds for food and fuel supplies.
Wickremesinghe had promised to follow through with the changes in the presidency -- a key demand from protesters and lawmakers who say the sweeping powers of the executive led to missteps by the former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration.
Under Rajapaksa, the constitution was amended to give him wide-ranging powers to appoint and dismiss ministers. The new proposals aim to give more oversight to parliament, restore independence to commissions in decision making and prohibits Sri Lankans with dual citizenship from holding office.
Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa introduced the bill, known as the 22nd amendment to the constitution, in parliament on Wednesday. The latest amendment approved by cabinet last week, will need the votes of two-thirds of the members of parliament to become law. It can be challenged in the country’s top court within a week of being placed in parliament.
Rajapaksa fled to Singapore last month following monthslong protests in Sri Lanka that saw demonstrators enter his home and offices. He stepped down as president soon after but is widely expected to return to the island nation.
In his inaugural speech to parliament last week, Wickremesinghe, who was elected president with the support of lawmakers from Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s party, called for support for his administration’s measures to help pull the nation out of its economic tailspin.
However, Wickremesinghe has also used the powers of the presidency to impose emergency rule and police have arrested several protesters for their involvement in demonstrations that forced out Rajapaksa.
Many in the protest movement have called for Wickremesinghe’s ouster as well, saying that he would not hold the former president accountable for economic mismanagement in a country where foreign exchange reserves remain low and inflation has stayed above 60%.
A day before the proposals were brought to parliament, a planned protest appeared to have lost steam as the government cracked down and cleared out several protest sites, including an iconic ocean-front area that was the heart of the anti-Rajapaksa anger. People are also focused on securing supplies of fuel and cooking gas that have started to trickle into the country. That was a marked change from the anger in the months before when people had to queue for hours to secure these essential items.
Bloomberg Businessweek
Asantha Sirimanne
Wed, August 10, 2022
(Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka’s government introduced a parliamentary proposal to curb the powers of the president’s office, the first step to reform a political system widely seen as responsible for tipping the country into economic chaos and bankruptcy.
The passing of the proposed constitutional amendment would be a win for President Ranil Wickremesinghe and buy him time to institute tough economic reforms to secure a bailout from the International Monetary Fund as the country struggles to find funds for food and fuel supplies.
Wickremesinghe had promised to follow through with the changes in the presidency -- a key demand from protesters and lawmakers who say the sweeping powers of the executive led to missteps by the former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration.
Under Rajapaksa, the constitution was amended to give him wide-ranging powers to appoint and dismiss ministers. The new proposals aim to give more oversight to parliament, restore independence to commissions in decision making and prohibits Sri Lankans with dual citizenship from holding office.
Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa introduced the bill, known as the 22nd amendment to the constitution, in parliament on Wednesday. The latest amendment approved by cabinet last week, will need the votes of two-thirds of the members of parliament to become law. It can be challenged in the country’s top court within a week of being placed in parliament.
Rajapaksa fled to Singapore last month following monthslong protests in Sri Lanka that saw demonstrators enter his home and offices. He stepped down as president soon after but is widely expected to return to the island nation.
In his inaugural speech to parliament last week, Wickremesinghe, who was elected president with the support of lawmakers from Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s party, called for support for his administration’s measures to help pull the nation out of its economic tailspin.
However, Wickremesinghe has also used the powers of the presidency to impose emergency rule and police have arrested several protesters for their involvement in demonstrations that forced out Rajapaksa.
Many in the protest movement have called for Wickremesinghe’s ouster as well, saying that he would not hold the former president accountable for economic mismanagement in a country where foreign exchange reserves remain low and inflation has stayed above 60%.
A day before the proposals were brought to parliament, a planned protest appeared to have lost steam as the government cracked down and cleared out several protest sites, including an iconic ocean-front area that was the heart of the anti-Rajapaksa anger. People are also focused on securing supplies of fuel and cooking gas that have started to trickle into the country. That was a marked change from the anger in the months before when people had to queue for hours to secure these essential items.
Bloomberg Businessweek
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