Colombo: Sri Lanka’s troubled Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Wednesday that the President Gotabaya Rajapakse Amid reports of a rift between the two brothers over running the debt-ridden island nation, they were asked not to resign and claimed they were “on the same page” of solving the worst economic crisis. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s statement came on a day Sri Lankan media reported that President Rajapaksa has written to the leaders of political parties affiliated with the government to meet on Friday and discuss an all-party government that will follow the PM’s plan. Might be done later. Almirah resigned.
In his letter, the President mentioned that he had taken into account the requests made by the country’s top Buddhist leaders, religious leaders as well as political parties and civic organisations.
Sri Lanka has been going through an unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is due to a lack of foreign exchange, which means the country cannot pay for imports of staple foods and fuels. , leading to sharp shortages and very high prices.
Earlier this month, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to remove his elder brother Chamal and eldest nephew Namal from the cabinet, in response to ongoing protests demanding accountability from the powerful ruling family and the worst foreign exchange crisis the country is facing. was due to its inability to remove ,
In the second week of April, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on its USD 35.5 billion foreign debt. The finance ministry said the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have made it impossible to pay its creditors.
Now the pressure on the President in crisis is also increasing to form an interim government.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he would hand over the government to any group that won 113 of the 225-member seats. Parliament But the President will not step down.
Prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse It was also emphasized last week that without his leadership there was no need to allow him to resign or to form an interim government.
In an interview to the Daily Mirror newspaper, the 76-year-old prime minister, who is currently facing one of the toughest challenges in his political career, dismissed reports of a rift between him and 72-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“It’s all a lie. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the president. That’s why I should always respect him as president. He’s probably my younger brother, but that’s a different matter. It’s a personal relationship. But he’s the president and I’m his.” Respect. For that,” Mahinda Rajapakse said.
“Like everyone else we debate, even in cabinet we debate. But our arguments stop there. He is the president and I am the prime minister and we are on the same page. If we have arguments between the two then we cannot continue working as President and Prime Minister. It is not good for the country,” he said.
“So there is nothing like what you said in your question. We are able to sit together and discuss all the current issues and come to an agreement to move forward,” the prime minister insisted.
Addressing a meeting with members of the local government of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna amid growing demand for his resignation as well as anti-government protesters, Mahinda Rajapaksa said, “Anyone can make allegations, but those allegations have to be proved.” We cannot turn our backs on the Constitution and leave by simply allowing the country to go into a state of anarchy.”
“The president never asked me to resign and I don’t think he would ask me to do so,” he told the meeting.
Mahinda Rajapaksa also urged people to be patient, saying it was not practical for him and the President to resign as he was elected through a mandate.
He insisted that only certain sections of the people are protesting against the government.
“There are certain groups within these classes that were always against us. These are the people who are telling us to leave.”
“But it is not practical. We have come through the mandate. Just because some people want us to go does not mean that we will go. We have got the mandate and if people want to change us, they elect it.” The Prime Minister indicated that he would not resign before Friday’s meeting to form an all-party government as suggested by the President.
Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed that people would vote for him in the next election, because they “know who I am and what I am.”
“I believe that. Look, those people are not protesting against me. Just because some section is asking me to go, it doesn’t mean that those hundreds of thousands of people voted for us, we want that.” Let us go. These protesters alone do not represent the entire population, although their views are also respected,” he said.
“We are here because people want us. The day people want us to go, we will go. In 2015, we lost the election. And then in 2019 we came back. That’s why the majority is with us,” the prime minister asserted. .
Responding to a question on the President’s performance, he said, “I personally feel that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has done well and has done a wonderful job. It is true that we are facing issues today, but we are in general. We are also working hard to restore the situation. At the earliest.”
In his letter, the President mentioned that he had taken into account the requests made by the country’s top Buddhist leaders, religious leaders as well as political parties and civic organisations.
Sri Lanka has been going through an unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is due to a lack of foreign exchange, which means the country cannot pay for imports of staple foods and fuels. , leading to sharp shortages and very high prices.
Earlier this month, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to remove his elder brother Chamal and eldest nephew Namal from the cabinet, in response to ongoing protests demanding accountability from the powerful ruling family and the worst foreign exchange crisis the country is facing. was due to its inability to remove ,
In the second week of April, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on its USD 35.5 billion foreign debt. The finance ministry said the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have made it impossible to pay its creditors.
Now the pressure on the President in crisis is also increasing to form an interim government.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he would hand over the government to any group that won 113 of the 225-member seats. Parliament But the President will not step down.
Prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse It was also emphasized last week that without his leadership there was no need to allow him to resign or to form an interim government.
In an interview to the Daily Mirror newspaper, the 76-year-old prime minister, who is currently facing one of the toughest challenges in his political career, dismissed reports of a rift between him and 72-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“It’s all a lie. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the president. That’s why I should always respect him as president. He’s probably my younger brother, but that’s a different matter. It’s a personal relationship. But he’s the president and I’m his.” Respect. For that,” Mahinda Rajapakse said.
“Like everyone else we debate, even in cabinet we debate. But our arguments stop there. He is the president and I am the prime minister and we are on the same page. If we have arguments between the two then we cannot continue working as President and Prime Minister. It is not good for the country,” he said.
“So there is nothing like what you said in your question. We are able to sit together and discuss all the current issues and come to an agreement to move forward,” the prime minister insisted.
Addressing a meeting with members of the local government of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna amid growing demand for his resignation as well as anti-government protesters, Mahinda Rajapaksa said, “Anyone can make allegations, but those allegations have to be proved.” We cannot turn our backs on the Constitution and leave by simply allowing the country to go into a state of anarchy.”
“The president never asked me to resign and I don’t think he would ask me to do so,” he told the meeting.
Mahinda Rajapaksa also urged people to be patient, saying it was not practical for him and the President to resign as he was elected through a mandate.
He insisted that only certain sections of the people are protesting against the government.
“There are certain groups within these classes that were always against us. These are the people who are telling us to leave.”
“But it is not practical. We have come through the mandate. Just because some people want us to go does not mean that we will go. We have got the mandate and if people want to change us, they elect it.” The Prime Minister indicated that he would not resign before Friday’s meeting to form an all-party government as suggested by the President.
Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed that people would vote for him in the next election, because they “know who I am and what I am.”
“I believe that. Look, those people are not protesting against me. Just because some section is asking me to go, it doesn’t mean that those hundreds of thousands of people voted for us, we want that.” Let us go. These protesters alone do not represent the entire population, although their views are also respected,” he said.
“We are here because people want us. The day people want us to go, we will go. In 2015, we lost the election. And then in 2019 we came back. That’s why the majority is with us,” the prime minister asserted. .
Responding to a question on the President’s performance, he said, “I personally feel that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has done well and has done a wonderful job. It is true that we are facing issues today, but we are in general. We are also working hard to restore the situation. At the earliest.”