Gotabaya extends invitation to form all-party govt

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday extended an invitation to form an allparty government comprising all political parties represented in Parliament to address the unprecedented economic crisis in the island nation.

He made the offer at the President’s House here during a discussion with party leaders and representatives who are now operating independently in Parliament, President’s media division said in a statement.

However, it was not clear if incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the eldest brother of the President, will resign to form the all-party government. The Opposition has made it clear that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa should resign, a move previously rejected by the 76-year-old Prime Minister. The parties said that there was a need to form a National Consensus Government to continue the activities of the government and to appoint a National Council with the participation of the leaders of the political parties represented in Parliament as its initial step, the statement said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated that he would agree to the points contained in the common proposal presented by the party representatives if all political parties supported it. However, the statement did not give details of the points mentioned in the common proposal.

It was also decided to nominate five representatives from among those who took part in the discussion to take forward the mechanism of forming an all-party government. Discussions were held on formulating a systematic programme after obtaining the views of other political parties in Parliament, including the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

A delegation led by former president Maithripala Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) met the President in the morning to press for their demand for the formation of the interim government. Later, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 72, discussed with another dissident group that split from the ruling coalition.

The President told them to show their majority by garnering the support of 113 lawmakers in the 225-member Parliament to form the interim government. The dissidents demanded President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s elder brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation to make way for an interim government.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, however, has made it clear that he would not resign and will head any interim government in the future. In recent weeks, the powerful Buddhist clergy, civil society and trade chambers have demanded the formation of an interim government to handle the current economic crisis.

The President’s talks with the constituent parties were meant to discuss the proposal. However, the parties wanted separate meetings with the President without the presence of the prime minister and the Cabinet.

The dissidents and Opposition parties are united in the stand that no interim government would be possible with Mahinda Rajapaksa as the prime minister. The protests throughout the island nation call for the resignation of the entire Rajapaksa family for their bungling in handling the economic crisis as people are forced to wait in long queues for essentials while enduring long power cuts.

Sri Lanka is currently in the throes of unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and high prices.

The Rajapaksa family is coming under increasing pressure to resign with tens of thousands of protesters camping outside the presidential secretariat for three weeks now. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official residence is also surrounded by protesting youth who have asked him to resign. Sri Lanka needs at least USD 4 billion to tide over its mounting economic woes. - PTI.