Sri Lanka Prime Minister resigns amid protests over economic crisis
One AmericaDec 27, 2021
The Facts
Ranil Wickremesinghe, a former PM of Sri Lanka, has been asked to resume his post in order to help steer the nation through an ongoing economic crisis and escalating political violence.
The news comes just days after the resignation of former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, brother of the sitting president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Pres. Rajapaksa is now the only remaining of the once-dominant Rajapaksa clan still in government.
The Spin
Narrative A
Sri Lankans are suffering the effects of terrible mismanagement on the part of the Rajapaksa clan and its allies. Instead of addressing the ongoing economic crisis, they've focused on retaining power at any expense, which has lead to bloodshed on top of deprivation.
Narrative B
Mahinda Rajapaksa was a beloved figure who has devoted his entire adult life to public service; he just wasn't equipped to handle Sri Lanka's unprecedented economic crisis. With his resigation, Pres. Gotabaya Rajapaksa can bring new blood into his admin. in the form of Wickremesinghe to solve the crisis.
Cynical narrative
Wickremesinghe is not the band-aid that Pres. Gotabaya Rajapaksa thinks he will be. Sri Lankans see him as just another connected and corrupt career politician being brought in to replace Mahinda without challenging Rajapaksa's control. The move will not quell the anger of anti-government protestors.
Articles on this story
Sign Up for Our Free NewslettersSign Up for Our Free Newsletters
Sign Up!
Sign Up Now!