“The worst economic crisis that has caused misery and unrest in Sri Lanka is going to get worse before it gets better,” new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Friday.
Due to the economic crisis, Sri Lanka is facing severe fuel shortage and rising food prices, forcing many people to give up food. On Monday, Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned from the post of Prime Minister due to issues related to it.
Appealing for more financial help from the world, Wickremesinghe said in an interview to the BBC that “there will be no hunger crisis, we will find food”. The 73-year-old veteran politician, who is currently on his sixth term as prime minister, warned that the worst economic crisis that has brought misery and unrest in the country is “going to get worse before it gets better.”
He described the Sri Lankan economy as “broken”, but added that his message to the Sri Lankans was “be patient, I will bring things back.”
The leader of the United National Party (UNP) was sworn in by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday, but his appointment has been largely disappointing, as he is seen as very close to the politically influential Rajapaksa clan.
Wickremesinghe said he agreed with the sentiments of the protesters who are demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa, but it will not happen. “Blaming will not lead to action, I am here to see people nurtured,” he said.
Anti-government protests in the capital Colombo intensified in early April and grew in size and spread across the country. People are angry because the cost of living has become affordable, and nine people have lost their lives in the unrest.
However, Wickremesinghe may face a tough time in Parliament as he is the only member of his party in the 225-member house. Opposition parties on Friday questioned President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to appoint Wickremesinghe as prime minister. Opposition parties have also decided not to join the interim government, but have supported Wickremesinghe’s efforts to revive the battered economy.
Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis has sparked widespread protests calling for political reform and the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. On 1 April, President Rajapaksa imposed a state of emergency, lifting it five days later.
Although the protests have been exceedingly peaceful, police fatally shot a protester on 19 April, and used tear gas and water cannons against the protesters on several occasions.
The government has made several arrests and repeatedly imposed curfews. The political crisis began in late March when people hurt by prolonged power cuts and essential shortages took to the streets demanding the government’s resignation.
Wickremesinghe took over as prime minister on Thursday as the country has not had a government since Monday, when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s elder brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse resigned after violence erupted after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters . The attack triggered widespread violence against Rajapaksa loyalists, killing nine people and injuring more than 200.