Colombo, SRI LANKA – As I watched the protests unfold in our neighboring country, Bangladesh, I got a sense of deja vu. It all seemed so similar to when my motherland, Sri Lanka, erupted in protests more than two years ago.
Sri Lanka has had a rough time over the past few years. In 2019 – 10 years after the end of our 30-year long civil war – bombs exploded in several hotels and churches across the nation, killing more than 300 people.
Afterwards the covid-19 pandemic struck, paralyzing the nation for two years. Both of these events combined tanked the tourism industry, robbing the nation of a much-needed stream of revenue.
To make matters worse, after the bombs, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was elected president.
Rajapaksa was a member of a political dynasty that included his brothers – Mahinda, who he appointed prime minister, and Basil, who was appointed minister of finance. He was also defense minister during Mahinda’s tenure as president and played a major role in the bloodbath that ended the civil war.
During his term, Rajapaksa slashed taxes, further robbing the government of revenue. By 2022, Sri Lanka was nearly bankrupt and was $50 billion dollars in debt.
The prices of food and medicine skyrocketed. Huge queues formed to get petrol. Blackouts became a day to day occurrence.
Sri Lanka was rapidly becoming unlivable.
That’s when the people decided to take a stand. Protesters started a movement known as the Aragalaya, or Struggle. They also occupied a lot along the beachfront and established GotaGoGama, translating to Gotabhaya Go Town.
They occupied the lot for nearly two months, resisting police and tear gas to get their message across: they wanted the Rajapaksa family out.
By April 1, Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency, but that didn’t stop the entire cabinet, including Basil Rajapaksa, from resigning days later. The president was looking extremely isolated.
Then on May 9, after clashes between protesters and pro-government supporters, Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister before thousands of protesters stormed his residence and he had to be rescued by the army.
Ranil Wikramasinghe – a former prime minister and Rajapaksa ally – replaced Mahinda Rajapaksa.
For a while it seemed that Mahinda’s resignation may have saved Gotabhaya’s skin. But on July, 9, 2022, protesters stormed his residence and Gotabhaya fled to the Maldives.
He resigned a few days later in Singapore, and Wikramasinghe was appointed acting President.
Meanwhile, protestors were taking a well-deserved dip in the presidential pool.
The ousting of the Rajapaksas from power was truly a huge victory for Sri Lanka, but how successful it really was is debatable.
Weeks after Rajapaksa’s resignation, Ranil Wikramasinghe was elected to serve the remainder of the term in a secret Parliamentary vote. He quickly flexed his muscles, sending the army to dismantle GotaGoGama and arresting many protest leaders.
Now, with elections coming up soon, not much has changed.
Two members of the Rajapaksa family have been appointed candidates for major parties and Wikramasinghe is still clinging on to power.
All I hope is that Bangladesh’s protests don’t end up the same way.
Shanish Fernando is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
