Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa defends himself
Gotabaya Rajapaksa defends himself in resignation letter
Sri Lankan parliament was convened on Saturday where the resignation of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was read. In the letter, he defended himself and listed the reasons why the island country plunged into one of its worst economic crises.
“I served my motherland to the best of my ability, and I will continue to do so in the future,” he said in his letter, which was read aloud by Dhammika Dasanayake, Secretary-General of Parliament.
The 73-year-old Sri Lankan leader said that the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown choked Sri Lanka’s economy, according to PTI news agency.
He said that he tried to take the appropriate steps to salvage the country by forming an all-party government to counter the economic meltdown.
“I took action to protect people from the pandemic despite being constrained by the already poor economic environment that prevailed at the time,” he said.
“During 2020 and 2021 I was compelled to order lockdowns and the foreign exchange situation deteriorated. In my view, I took the best course of action by suggesting an all-party or a national government to tackle the situation,” Rajapaksa said.
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Secretary-General of Parliament reads the letter of resignation by @GotabayaR #SriLanka #lka pic.twitter.com/OIPJyqbEez
“I decided to resign as you indicated to me on July 9 the wish of the party leaders,” he said in the letter.
“I resign with effect from July 14,” the letter read.
Meanwhile, former Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa have been barred by the Supreme Court to leave the country without permission until July 28, anti-corruption group Transparency International Sri Lanka said.
The top court’s decision follows days after their brother and former president Gotabya Rajapaksa fled the country as the protests intensified seeking his resignation.
The anti-corruption group in a tweet further said that three other former officials, including two former central bank governors, also cannot travel outside the country without the court's permission till July 28, the group said in a tweet.
(With inputs from agencies)
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