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The recent upheaval in Sri Lanka is an extreme example of the world’s recent troubles. Covid disrupted the country’s key industries, particularly tourism, and then leaders failed to adapt – unleashing a chain of economic disasters, including food and fuel shortages. The crisis sparked protests that culminated in the resignation of the president and the appointment of a new president on Wednesday.
My colleague Emily Schmall reported on Sri Lanka. I spoke to her about the country’s crisis.
What brought Sri Lanka to this point?
In the past six months, economic conditions have become increasingly difficult for ordinary Sri Lankans. Things like fuel and cooking gas became more expensive and harder to come by, and inflation skyrocketed. New government import bans caused overseas goods like chocolate and coffee beans to disappear.
There is a sizeable middle class in Sri Lanka. People aren’t used to scarcity, so when things disappeared from the shelves, they immediately noticed. People were upset about that. And the ability to keep going has become all but impossible in the last month or so.
Eventually, demonstrators took over the presidential palace. How did this happen?
It all started with protesters marching towards the President’s mansion on July 9th. Government officials gassed them with tear gas and fired live ammunition around them. That made people angry. Some confiscated a military truck and used it to break down the gate. Hundreds of people then poured in to find this place essentially deserted – the President had fled and there was nobody to stop them going in. Then they did the same at Temple Trees, the Prime Minister’s official residence.
But the protesters did not loot the place. They started inviting the public to come in, but in an orderly manner. Activists forced people to line up properly. They treated these houses like museums. They were concerned not to cause property damage.
After about 24 hours, a merriment swept over the place, and a few people swam in the President’s pool. They had done it: they had forced this extremely powerful president, accused and feared of war crimes, to leave his homeland and even the country. But they did it peacefully, without taking up arms.
So it was an atmosphere of joy and disbelief, with a bit of absurdity and a bit of comedy – a very Sri Lankan kind of revolution, relatively reserved and polite.
I can’t help but compare this to the riot in the US Capitol. This seemed much more peaceful.
Oh yeah. I couldn’t help but think about it either.
There were several differences. For one, these people were not armed. It was also a bit spontaneous, and there was no clear leader. They did not do this in connection with any politician or political party.
But the big difference was that these protesters had broad support. Ordinary Sri Lankans applauded them and even participated. People who would otherwise never get involved in activism or protests happily wandered the grounds, enjoying themselves and basking in the success of this movement.
In the US we’ve had inflation and supply shortages lately. But that sounds like a whole different level of trouble.
Yes. Americans in the US have complained about fuel prices. In contrast, Sri Lanka ran out of fuel. Not only was it expensive; it was impossible to find.
How did the government react?
Until a few months ago, there was no real government acknowledgment of the crisis. The dynast Gotabaya Rajapaksa was then in charge of the administration and had appointed his brothers and nephew to his cabinet. He didn’t take much advice from outside his family.
There was much rejection among them. They were repeatedly told that the economy was deteriorating. But they were certain post-Covid tourism would continue to grow and that would be enough to shore up finances. But that didn’t happen; Tourism slowly came back, but it wasn’t enough.
I was surprised that so much country was ruled by this one family. Is this unusual in Sri Lankan history?
It was strange even for Sri Lanka.
There are a number of families in politics. Rajapaksa was defense minister when his brother was president from 2005 to 2015.
But this government was a most brazen example. The Sri Lankan government increasingly looked like a family business. And that’s how it was run: a lot of secrecy, little transparency, few outsiders. The family tried to profit from government policies.
Does the new government have the confidence of the population?
The protesters are not happy with Ranil Wickremesinghe, the new president. They believe his takeover validates the Rajapaksa’s influence because he represents the establishment and because he has appointed a friend of the Rajapaksa family as his prime minister.
What’s next for Sri Lanka?
In the short term, we are likely to see more turbulence. But the people are working to ensure that Sri Lanka does not return to this situation of teetering autocracy, little transparency and ignoring the will of the people. So it’s mostly a positive story.
More about Emily Schmall: She grew up in DeKalb, Illinois and once had a job as a corn detangler. She decided to become a journalist in high school. She began her career at The Miami Herald in 2005 and joined The Times New Delhi office in 2020.
Related: Amid the chaos, Sri Lankans found refuge in cricket.
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