Sri Lanka: The island on a deadline

The masses that have taken to streets all across the country, demanding accountability and action, bear witness to the magnitude of the sufferings caused by the unprecedented economic, and the consequent political crisis, taking place in Sri Lanka right now. 

The fear of a worse plight, potentially leading to the horrors of a Venezuela or a Zimbabwe, is keeping the public on their feet, ready to plunge into the doors of the devil, if that is what it may take to save the nation from plummeting into an unsalvageable pothole. 

The Sri Lankan economy had been on a downward spiral in the immediate years before the pandemic with shrinking growth rates, tightening exchange rate pressures, mounting debt, multiple exogenous shocks, and a string of bad policy decisions, when the blow from the pandemic only aggravated the economic woes of the nation. 

Inflexible policy decisions like slashing taxes, excessive money printing, a ban on chemical fertiliser, and even the delayed floating of the rupee, all backfired as the common citizen was bearing the brunt of these moves.

After close to a couple of months of queueing up due to fuel and gas shortages, rationing of essentials like milk powder and medicines, combined with sky-rocketing inflation and power-cuts lasting more than 12 hours a day, the general public had decided that #EnoughisEnough. 

Last week, protests broke out from all corners of the nation, demanding accountability from the government, and pushing for immediate actions to pursue a path to recovery. Public anger was only exacerbated as the government seemed to completely ignore the desperation on the streets. It finally erupted on the 31st of March, in the form of a massive demonstration outside the President's private residence, demanding that he steps down.

This was followed by a chain of peaceful protests island-wide, to which the President reacted by declaring a state of emergency on the 1st of April, followed by an island-wide curfew for 36 hours, and a ban on social media, in an attempt to curb uprisings against the government. 

The social media ban was unwarranted and backfired when anti-government slogans and hashtags began trending in other countries, as people resorted to using VPNs. The sudden imposition of a curfew, with only two hours of notice, infuriated the public. 

These moves only agitated the public, and demonstrations continued despite the curfew, strongly manifesting that the people had enough. Unfortunately, for the government, these arbitrary tactics to curb the freedom of expression, and suppression of fundamental rights of the citizens, only increased the tension.

Beneath the blanket suppression and inconveniences are the real tragedies. Parents are helpless as they watch their kids go to school, come home, do their homework, and go to sleep, all in the scorching heat, without electricity, without sufficient material to engage in schoolwork, and for the most unfortunate, without even a glass of milk a day. 

The youth are frustrated and hopeless, as they doubt if they will eventually be paid off for their arduous work today, given the decline of the nation. They have come to question the possibility of realising their dreams - as manifested in multiple placards seen at protests, "Give me back my future!" and the masses of university students taking to the streets demanding change. 

Doctors are re-formulating surgery protocols to compensate for the shortage of drugs, and essential medical supplies, and a medical emergency has been declared. The real victims are the few who lost their lives standing in queues for a gas cylinder, or a packet of milk; a completely unjustified fate brought upon them by failing and murderous policies, and the insensitivity of authorities to the ground-level crisis.   

Demonstrators move away from tear gas used by the police near Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's residence during a protest against him. Photo: Reuters

It is indeed tragic that political authorities have not acknowledged the economic crisis even thus far. The parliamentary sessions that followed immediately after the outbreak of protests only justified the public's decision to take to the streets, as a majority of public representatives displayed a complete lack of sensibility to the need of the hour. 

They were seen defending their political agendas instead of addressing the burning economic crisis. The public expects the legislative to play a more active role in advocating for crucial decisions like seeking IMF assistance, advocating for a no-confidence motion, or abolishing the executive presidency. 

As their reactions come either delayed or not at all, it is highly doubtful if the public representatives realise the extent of the role they can play through the parliament. The public representatives currently seem to be standing in the way of what people desperately need. 

Amidst all these trigger events of the past week, a few observations are imperative. The crowds who gathered in the streets are not limited to a specific social or income category. It was a blend of the poor, the rich, and the middle-class, eliciting the intensity of the crisis.

The crowd is not defined by ethnic or religious groups, all Sri Lankans are a part of this campaign in the struggle for the country's economic and political salvation. The silver lining amidst the chaos is that for once, the politicians have failed in their go-to 'divide and rule' strategy, which had blinded the public to political exploitation based on religious and ethnic sensitivities all along. The trajectory had to hit an all-time low, for the public to buffer up against the undeserving political privileges that have abused and manipulated the voter base for over 70 years. 

Right now, what Sri Lanka witnesses is not an expression of sheer desperation because essentials are scarce, because kids may go to bed hungry, or because electricity has now become a luxury of a few hours a day. Sri Lankans have lived through crisis upon crisis, never once questioning the government's integrity toward the well-being of the nation. 

Instead, this time, a population of twenty-two million is equally agitated and desperate for one thing, and one thing only – a transformation for the better. This is a strong and loud declaration of the public's resentment towards a rotting system of corruption, injustice, undue political privilege, and mismanagement that are eating into the political and economic sustainability of the nation. 

One thing, however, is critical at the moment – that both the public and the politicians do not let the political crisis overbear the economic catastrophe in the country.     

The path to recovery may be long, and tough. Yet, these few days are likely to make history as the days when a leader of Sri Lanka was demanded to step down. As the days when this island nation stood up to decades of corruption and shady party politics to restore true democracy. As the days of an unexpected blessing in disguise, that will perhaps recourse the political and economic trajectory of this nation for the better. This may be the one chance to redeem a toxic political culture, preceded by urgent economic reforms. Right now, is not a take-it-or-leave-it moment for the country; Sri Lanka has got to take it, and take it right. 

Hashini Wijesekera is an undergraduate economics student at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.