Raised to national hero status after bringing the Tamil Tigers to line, the former president succumbs to the tsunami of rising fuel prices, inflation and galloping foreign debt
The thousands of citizens who chanted ‘Go home Gota’ through the streets of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, did not speak for the sake of the word and tired of feeling ignored, stormed the presidential residence ten days ago. The raid had been preceded by street riots demanding everything from food to fuel; with Buddhist monks draped in saffron cloth leading the tide of humanity and riot police conscientiously using tear gas and water cannons against an increasingly angry mob. With dozens injured, including several police officers, the palace barriers could not withstand this uncontrollable flood; the crowd made their way through bedrooms and living rooms, bathed in the pool, clad in the gym where the president was doing his morning exercises just hours before.
When the thunderbolt was discovered, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had already poured water in aboard an Army Antonov 32 bound for the Maldives, that paradise strung on atolls that emerge like a string of pearls from the Indian Ocean, and then on to Singapore, where you sent your letter of resignation via email. His departure was not without incident, starting with the airport authorities, who kept him in the VIP room knowing that the country had reached a boiling point and that any wrong step would cost them dearly. Finally, he fled at dawn, a humiliating epilogue to a dynasty that has been in power for two decades.
While he and his wife packed their bags, his right-hand man, Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose home was also destroyed by the gangs, remained in charge of the rubble. In an effort to calm the mood, the prime minister had no choice but to announce his resignation and offer guarantees for the establishment of ‘a government of national unity’. Wickremesinghe had been in office for two months, the time that had passed since Mahinda, Gotabaya’s brother and former president, threw in the towel when a tsunami of violence erupted that claimed dozens of lives.
But nothing is as it seems in Sri Lanka, where Gotabaya’s puppet, far from going backwards, displays earthquake-resistant cunning. In a week’s time he rose first to the interim presidency – with the excuse of protecting the country for 30 days until the House elects a successor – and then to the head of state, supported by a large majority of parliament. Gotabaya, meanwhile, strips the daisy of its future in the company of his wife and two bodyguards, while Singaporean authorities, reluctant to grant asylum, refuse to say whether it’s a private trip or even that the former president is in transit to another country. .
Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s fall into Hell is all the more dramatic when one considers the background of the character, a true sacred cow in this country of 22 million inhabitants, divided between Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. For years he and his brother seemed anointed by the gods. The now-fugitive sons of a wealthy family from the south of the island distinguished themselves in the army during the civil war against the Tamil Tigers and even participated in counter-insurgency operations. Discharged with honors, he went to college in the United States, from where he returned in 2005 to assist his brother in his presidential campaign and to serve as Secretary of Defense.
When the conflict ended, after a quarter of a century of fighting, Gotabaya strengthened his positions. However, the jump to the presidency would not take place until 2019, after Islamist attacks on churches and hotels that left 250 dead. The promise of security by the one who had bowed the heads of the Tamils caused his popularity and propelled him to power in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Over the past twenty years, 40 members of the family have held positions of responsibility in government and the fortunes that the clan has amassed are incalculable.
The images of what happened last week are reminiscent of that old Hollywood hit that took place in Sri Lanka – then Ceylon – and with Elizabeth Taylor at her best. In ‘The Path of the Elephants’, dozens of pachyderms rebelled against the incumbent and destroyed a tea plantation to the ground to give back to nature what was rightfully theirs. In the case of Gotabaya, the collapse had been brewing for months and is reflected in the economic collapse of a country with a GDP per capita that was 3,225 euros last year and where each of its citizens was already in debt at the time. . 3.270. A very low standard of living plunges this exotic destination into the depths of the world rankings of wealth.
The war in Ukraine, the ensuing rise in fuel prices and the disruption of the supply chain have only paid for the collapse of the Sinhalese, with an economy heavily dependent on tourism pulverized by the rigors of the pandemic and a terrible agricultural policy has been added as a result of the ban on fertilizers, which has reduced production. The result is the worst crisis this country has faced since the departure of the British in 1948.
Since Gotabaya came to power in 2019, the country’s drift has been exacerbated by the depletion of foreign exchange reserves and rampant debt, while inflation climbs to 54.6%. The government ordered the preventive default of its foreign debt in April, ultimately destroying creditors’ confidence and forcing them to turn to the International Monetary Fund in search of a solution that the government is far from having. A month earlier, power cuts had become rife, fueling discontent and turning timid initial criticism into strong demands for resignation. Faced with such a panorama, Gotabaya, unaccustomed to paddling against the current, has spoken: the latter, close the door. Wickremesinghe has taken the witness and seems unwilling to let him go.
Source: La Verdad
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