Following the declaration of a state of emergency in the country by embattled President Gotabya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry has appealed to the public to assist it in managing the current economic crisis and unrest in the country with ‘utmost intelligence and patience,’ and has also cancelled the leaves of all security personnel. President Rajapaksa proclaimed a state of emergency at a special Cabinet meeting on Friday, taking effect from Friday midnight.
This is the second proclaimed emergency in less than a month. Rajapaksa declared an emergency on April 1 in response to a huge demonstration outside his private house. On April 5, he revoked it. According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence declared on Saturday that owing to the imposition of a state of emergency, leave for security forces personnel has been cancelled. According to the Ministry of Defence, all military members must report to duty immediately.
In a second statement, the ministry urged all residents to ‘help in managing the present economic and social crises and turmoil in the nation with the highest intellect and patience. It must be stated that we all respect the democratic right of the people of Sri Lanka to peacefully express their agitations and protests within the democratic framework,’ the statement said, amid weeks of protests demanding the resignation of the President and the government, blaming the powerful Rajapaksa clan for mismanaging the island nation’s economy, which was already hit by the pandemic.
‘However, particularly in the last few days, the peaceful fight has been transformed, and democratic rights of the people have been infringed in any attempt to disturb the daily lives of the people in the nation,’ the ministry said in a statement. ‘It is true that we are all in considerable suffering as a result of the demonstrations and hartals that are taking place in many regions of the nation, affecting people’s everyday life,’ it continued. According to the ministry, there have been reports of protestors behaving in a ‘provocative and threatening way’ without regard for the country’s existing law and order, impeding the work of the police and security forces who are committed to maintain law and order.
‘As a result of this, the bulk of the country’s law-abiding inhabitants find it extremely difficult to sustain the necessary services required to carry out their daily lives,’ it stated. ‘Considering the status quo, the State of Emergency has been declared in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka from midnight on May 6, 2022 in accordance with Constitutional powers vested in His Excellency the President of the country…to maintain public peace, secure the lives of the people, and ensure social stability, and to establish the constitutional institutions established in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution,’ it said.
Sri Lanka is now experiencing unparalleled economic turbulence since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. A lack of foreign currency has contributed to the problem, since the government cannot afford to pay for imports of essential goods and gasoline, resulting in acute shortages and extremely high costs. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Sri Lanka since April 9, after the government ran out of funds for critical imports; prices of crucial goods have risen, and there are severe shortages of gasoline, medicines, and power. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, have refused to resign despite rising pressure.
Sri Lanka requires at least USD 4 billion to tide over its rising economic troubles, and negotiations for financial help have been ongoing with international organisations such as the World Bank as well as nations such as China and Japan. The country ran out of foreign cash to import much-needed vital products. The current state of emergency allows police and security personnel the authority to arrest and imprison anyone at will. The country’s human rights body, the primary attorneys’ body, the Opposition, and even some members of the diplomatic community criticised the government’s action.
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