Church people in Sri Lanka hail people power

By Thomas Scaria

Mangaluru, July 11, 2022: As Sri Lanka witnessed a second wave of massive protests; some Church people say people’s power is at work in the island nation.

Sri Lankans on July 9 assembled at Galle Face on the Arabian seashore in the capital city of Colombo forcing the president and the prime minister to step down.

This was the second mass wave of protests by all communities in the country. The protesters stormed the official residence of the president and the parliament, as police and military watched without any resistance.

“People have walked down from various cities and villages to the presidential palace in Colombo,” Salvatorian Father Jokin Anthony Nirmal Suranjan told Matters India over phone. “They will not return until the president steps down and a new election is announced,” he added.

The protesters have also stormed the residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe forcing him to resign.

Father Suranjan termed the resignations of the president and the prime minister as people’s victory in Sri Lanka.

The protesters were seen swimming in the private swimming pool of the president and enjoying food in the kitchen stores.

“They did not loot the official residence or parliament, but set fire to the private residence of the president Gotabaya Rajapakse at the sea side,” Father Suranjan pointed out.

Claretian Father Rohan Dominic, a Sri Lankan who works with the UN council for religious, used his Facebook page to congratulate the people for the massive protests.

“We, the people have the real power and if we are vigilant, we will always be powerful,” he said.

“What we experience today is the first step of the change. There is very long way to go for a real transformation. Let us do it together,” he added.

Sensing danger, the president left both his official and private residences and his whereabouts are unknown. However, he has announced that he would resign on July 13.

Earlier, an appeal by the president to stop the protestors by law was rejected by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, saying they have no power to stop people’s reactions and protests.

Some personnel of the military and police have joined the protesters. According to some newspaper reports, both military and police have not been paid salaries for the past five months.

The Island, a Sri Lankan newspaper, quoted Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to report that Rajapaksa will resign on July 13. The speaker is likely to head a coalition interim government until election is announced, according to some media reports.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, has also sought international intervention to solve Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis.

Pope Francis July 10 called upon the Sri Lankan authorities to listen to the cries of their people, suffering under the country’s worst economic crisis in 70 years.

“Together with the country’s bishops,” he said, “I renew my call for peace and implore those in authority not to ignore the cry of the poor.

Sri Lanka has run out of foreign currency as it experiences its worst economic crisis in 70 years. The country’s 22 million people are suffering under unchecked inflation and the government’s inability to import fuel, food, and medicine.

Cardinal Ranjith has criticized the Rajapakse family for ruining the country with no vision. The country will be further ruined unless the political party system and the people readily accept a total transformation from the current utterly corrupt way of life. He cited waste, corruption and irregularities as the bane of the country.

While addressing the centenary celebrations of the Maris Stella College, Negombo, June 18, the cardinal expressed concern over a mass exodus of people from the island to other countries for greener pastures.

“Long queues at the passport office were an indication of the public rapidly losing confidence in the government,” the cardinal said.