Colombo: The main opposition coalition in Sri Lanka, the Samajwadi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), has said it will bring a no – confidence motion once morest President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa if he does not come up with adequate plans to overcome the financial crisis.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa also demanded that the government refrain from concentrating its power on the president. Power should be shared between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The people want the Rajapaksas to step down. The government should listen to it. Premadasa told parliament that he would bring disbelief if the decision was not taken at this level. There are media reports that the SJB has started collecting signatures from MPs for the no-confidence motion.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Ali Sabri, who resigned within 24 hours of being appointed, returned to office on Friday. Sabri will lead the government’s talks with the International Monetary Fund starting on April 11. He told parliament his resignation was to get a more deserving person. He said he would be re-appointed as finance minister as no one had come forward to take over. On April 4, President Gotabhaya Sabri fired his brother Basil and made him finance minister.
Basil Rajapaksa was the minister who faced the most public outcry in the ruling SLPP. Earlier, Rajapaksa had suggested that a united government be formed to cool the opposition, but they rejected it. Premadasa said the demand for an interim government might not be accepted as long as Godabaya was president. Premadasa has submitted proposals to Parliament to overcome the financial crisis.
Meanwhile, the opposition JVP came out and demanded that Rajapaksa be impeached if he did not resign. Vijitha Herath, a JVP parliamentarian, said that Rajapaksa should be prepared to move if he is not ready to consider the problems of the people. On Friday, public and semi-public sector workers across the country went on strike once morest the government. Most institutions did not work because of this.
