But that all changed on July 9 when protesters stormed in and took control, demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa before turning the palace upside down.
“It was the home of the most powerful man in the country,” said Sri Lankan author and analyst Asanga Abeyagoonasekera. “It has never been opened to the public.”
He has since moved to Singapore, arriving on a “private visit”, authorities confirmed. On Friday, Sri Lanka’s parliament speaker accepted Rajapaksa’s resignation, ending his nearly three-year rule.
“Resignation was really the only option he had,” Abeyagunasekera said. “People are tired and hungry and angry… And they’re demanding change and accountability because they’re sick of seeing the same people in charge.”
“We can’t afford to choose”
Rajapaksa may be gone, but Sri Lanka is still struggling with a devastating financial crisis, and experts say things are likely to get worse before they get better.
Protests against daily power outages, rising fuel prices and severe shortages of essentials like food and medicine began in March and have shown little sign of abating.
“There is zero political stability,” Abeyagunasekera said. “We have seen three cabinets in two months, with a fourth coming. Change is urgently needed to rebuild the country.”
Despite the many measures introduced by the government to control the crisis, the situation remains desperate for millions across the country. “We are still short of food, medicine and fuel,” said Amita Arudpragasam, a Colombo-based political analyst. “The policies were also ineffective and confusing.”
Analysts said the crisis began around 2019. But for many Sri Lankans, the warning signs were already evident in 2010, when Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s brother Mahinda was re-elected president for a second term.
“It was a ticking time bomb,” Arudpragasam said of the Rajapaksa era. “The government was giving massive cuts to the wealthy elite as well as corporations when they should have been raising taxes. Money that could have been reinvested in the population was used to pay down debt obligations – and none of this helped to address the many weaknesses in our economy.”
Gotabaya Rajapaksa took power in late 2019, having previously held only the unelected post of defense minister in his brother’s administration.
Critics say he has mismanaged the economy, investing huge sums in the military while implementing sweeping tax cuts despite international warnings, causing government revenues to plummet.
“Rajapaksa did not listen to anyone’s advice and was supported by people who did not understand how an economy like ours should work,” Arudpragasam said. “(The government) refused to recognize that the economy was in crisis until it was too late.
Urgent humanitarian aid is needed now, she said. “We are in a crisis situation where we cannot afford to choose.”
In 2020, the World Bank reclassified Sri Lanka as a lower-middle-income country amid currency crashes and rising inflation rates.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe declared the country “bankrupt”. “Our economy is facing total collapse,” he said.
“One of the best places in the world”
The crisis has shocked many in the international community who remember a different Sri Lanka.
“In many ways, Sri Lanka is a development success story,” said Philippe Le Weroux, the World Bank’s former vice president for South Asia. “It stands out as a lower-middle-income country in a region that hosts the largest concentration of the poor in the world.”
After the end of Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war in 2009, the country entered a period of peace and stability. Trade is booming and international tourists are returning to the country’s beaches, resorts and tea plantations.
Le Houérou highlighted Sri Lanka’s “impressive” social achievements since the war. “Economic growth was robust and prosperity was widespread,” he said, adding that life expectancy was also among the highest in the region.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) once named Sri Lanka the richest economy in South Asia. “The island is reaping the benefits of early investment in higher education and training… and needs to concentrate on areas that are most important to drive the efficiencies that will drive further growth,” said a report by WEF 2016 Experts said tourism, one of Sri Lanka’s most lucrative industries, never had the chance to recover after the Easter 2019 terror attacks, followed by the pandemic that struck a year later.
“We had a strong agricultural base and one of the most exciting tourism industries in the world,” said Abeyagoonasekera, the author. “With the lack of proper governance, we have moved from a fragile state to a crisis state and now a failed state.
But he added: “Sri Lanka was one of the best places in the world and I believe that with the right directives and functioning institutions it can become that place again.”
All eyes are on a rescue plan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has been “closely monitoring” developments in the country since talks ended in June without a deal. Government mismanagement has also further complicated the recovery, analysts said.
“The IMF will not provide us with financial support without political stability, not when the country is still on a knife’s edge,” said researcher Sanjana Khatotuva. He added that while the protesters had achieved early goals of forcing Rajapaksa to resign, the country now faced a great deal of uncertainty. “There is no easy solution to a broken economy,” he said. “But the first step will be a new government and elections are needed.
“It’s time for a change”
With Gotabaya Rajapaksa now out of the country, public anger turned to Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, the current sitting president.
“Wickremesinghe was Rajapaksa’s choice for prime minister, that’s the problem,” said Abeyagunasekera, the author.
“He is politically connected to the Rajapaksas and his interest (has always been) to protect them.”
Others echoed the call for elections. “The protest movement is not slowing down and many Sri Lankans have realized the importance of their role as citizens to hold those in power accountable,” said Ambika Satkunanathan, a human rights lawyer who once worked at the United Nations and the Commission on Human Rights in Sri Lanka.
She also said she would not rule out the Rajapaksa return to power. “They may have abandoned ship as it sank, but they are shrewd and have been in the political game for decades,” she said.
“But now there is a window and it is time for a change. The government should call an election sooner rather than later.”
Wickmenesinghe will remain acting president until parliament elects a new president, with lawmakers called to meet on Saturday to begin the process. No date has yet been set for the vote, but under the constitution Wickremesinghe will be allowed to hold office for a maximum of 30 days.
Once elected, the new president will serve out the remaining two years originally set for Rajapaksa’s term.
Parliamentary elections were last held in 2020 and presidential elections in 2019, months after the Easter church bombings. Gotabaya Rajapaksa won after a contested race against then ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa.
Wickremesinghe’s appointment on Wednesday did not go down well with protesters who stormed his office demanding he step down. Police used tear gas and water cannons against the protesters and a state of emergency was declared across the country.
On Friday, Sri Lanka’s ruling party confirmed Wickremesinghe as its presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.
But Sri Lankans remain determined, analysts said, and want to see new people and faces in government. “The interim president will have (this) task of stabilizing the economy for a few months,” Abeyagunasekera said. But he would not be a leader elected by the people and that is a hindrance.
“Lack of Accountability”
The Rajapaksas derive much of their power from the “war hero” status accorded them by the majority of the population following then-President Mahinda’s 2009 declaration of victory in the 26-year civil war against the LTTE rebels – a campaign overseen by then Defense Minister Gotabaya.
According to a 2011 UN report, Sri Lankan government troops were responsible for abuses, including the deliberate firing of civilians, summary executions, rape, and blocking food and medicine from reaching affected communities. The UN report said “a number of reliable sources have estimated that there could be as many as 40,000 civilian deaths”.
The Rajapaksa family has always vehemently denied such allegations.
Satkunanathan, a human rights lawyer, said Sri Lanka’s next long-term leader must “address entrenched issues such as ethnic conflict, responsibility for human rights abuses, and possess the commitment and integrity to restore public trust.”
“Because we simply cannot afford to go back into a crisis like the one we’re facing today,” she said.
Global human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) have also said that the UN mandate to investigate alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka should be upheld.
“Gotabaya Rajapaksa and others accused must also be investigated and prosecuted appropriately,” said Elaine Pearson, HRW’s acting Asia director.
Independent investigations and prosecutions into Sri Lanka’s economic mismanagement are also needed, she added.
“There must be investigations into alleged corruption that has contributed to this crisis, including any attempts to hide assets overseas,” she said. “Foreign governments should investigate assets and freeze them if necessary.”
Pearson also reiterated the urgency of the election.
“The urgent priority is for a peaceful transition of power that respects rights and addresses the root causes of the political and economic crisis, which is ultimately linked to a lack of accountability, corruption and the weakening of institutions that are meant to…
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