Sri Lanka’s Emergency ill-motivated

Adding to Sri Lanka’s worsening economic crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has triggered a political crisis by declaring an Emergency. A crippling foreign exchange crisis, which has resulted in an acute shortage of fuel, food and medicines, and spiralling prices have left millions of Sri Lankans struggling to cope. Gotabaya has added insult to injury by imposing an Emergency and an island-wide curfew. The notification of the Emergency said that it was declared “in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community.” While the island has indeed been roiled by angry protests, the Emergency seems to have been imposed more in response to Gotabaya’s slipping hold over power. Deep fissures have erupted within the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-led ruling coalition in recent weeks. In early March, two SLPP ministers were sacked for criticising Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, who is also Gotabaya’s brother, for his mishandling of the economic crisis. That triggered the exit of several minor allies of the SLPP from the ruling coalition, depriving the Gotabaya government of its two-thirds majority in parliament. Most worryingly for the Rajapaksas, thousands of ordinary Sri Lankans are out on the streets, defying the curfew, to demand the resignation of Gotabaya and the rest of the Rajapaksa clan. Never before has the Rajapaksa family seen such fury and opposition to their misrule.

Following the en masse resignation of cabinet members, while the other Rajapaksa brother Mahinda remains Prime Minister, Gotabaya has called on opposition parties to “join together” to resolve the economic crisis. His outreach to the Opposition was long overdue. Still, it is a step in the right direction. However, it is not enough. The President must lift the Emergency immediately. He is unlikely to, as the Rajapaksas have a history of ruling with an iron hand and the Emergency is a handy tool to crush any resistance to them. Gotabaya, who has militarised the administration to unprecedented levels, may not hesitate to deploy troops against the Sri Lankan people. Instead of a militarised approach, Gotabaya should consult all parties to chart out a plan to take the country out of the economic crisis.

India must tread carefully in this Rajapaksa-created crisis. It should step up humanitarian support to the Sri Lankan people. It must avoid entanglement in the island’s politics. Vested interests are already spreading rumours that Indian troops are being deployed on the island. A transparent strategy that is based on supporting the humanitarian needs of the people is India’s best bet moving forward.