Sanath Jayasuriya is both “angry” and “sad” to see his beloved Sri Lanka grapple with huge financial crisis and civil unrest, but the former cricketer is hopeful that democracy will be restored in the island nation soon.
Former captain and one of the greatest players to have emerged from the subcontinent, Jayasuriya did not say anything while criticizing the politicians who he feels have messed everything up.
“It is a very sad situation what the Sri Lankan people have to go through. My country is suffering and I am deeply saddened to see people standing in long queues to buy essential food items. There is no electricity, no fuel and above all basic medicines are not available. It couldn’t have been worse for the common man,” Jayasuriya told PTI in an exclusive interview.
Pat Cummins speaks about the massive protests at the Galle ground during the second Test and how the tour hasn’t had an effect on the tour’s side #SLVAUS pic.twitter.com/M6BrlCdpwr
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) 12 July 2022
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose failed economic policies have brought the beautiful island nation to its knees, has reportedly fled to the Maldives and his palatial residence has been taken over by the general public.
“The way the situation has unfolded is really unfortunate. Gotabaya is expected to tender his resignation today, July 13. There are no words to describe how our politicians have completely mismanaged the country,” said an angry Jayasuriya.
Jayasuriya, the man who literally changed the grammar of batting in ODI cricket in the mid-90s, is all in favor of the protesters, who have taken control of the President’s residence.
“If you ask me about the public, who are presently inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan, I see nothing wrong as they have been peaceful in their protest. They have been told time and again not to damage public property. Yes, a large number of people have come from different parts of Sri Lanka. They all reached Colombo on July 9 demanding the resignation of the President.
“Everyone was asked to look after the belongings of Rashtrapati Bhavan as some items are very valuable. Nothing untoward has happened inside the building.”
Like everyone else, Jayasuriya is hopeful that democracy will return very soon and things will gradually return to normal in the long run.
Asked whether he supports the promotion of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president, the former Sri Lanka captain was clear in his thought process.
“Ranil has no choice but to abide by the orders of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abhayawardana and do accordingly. In order to restore peace and democracy in the country, Ranil will have to talk to others like Sajith Premadasa (Leader of the Opposition) as well to cut across party lines.
“He needs to bring the Muslim leaders and Tamil leaders of the country to the discussion table. We need to restore democracy in our country,” Jayasuriya said.
‘No threat to hosting Asia Cup’
As the protesters entered the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Australian team’s tour of Sri Lanka continued without any untoward incident, giving Jayasuriya the confidence of being able to host the Asia Cup T20 starting in August.
“I am confident that the Asia Cup will happen and there is no threat to the tournament. In Sri Lanka, everyone loves cricket, and cricketers from every country. There is nothing against any cricketer in the mind of Sri Lankan public. All necessary support will be extended to conduct the tournament peacefully,” Jayasuriya said.
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