Sri Lanka’s economic crisis: As people’s patience runs out, top leadership plays blame game

For many in Sri Lanka, life is pretty much in survival mode right now where your daily chores and activities must be carefully planned in a manner according to the intermittent power cuts and the instinct to spot the fastest moving queues at the fuel and gas station, and outside grocery stores.

For the most part, the fuel crisis has been sticking out for months like a sore thumb, with commuters and passengers deeply inconvenienced on a daily basis as they impatiently wait in line for hours to fill up their tanks.

While some might eventually fill up their tanks at the cost of breaking the bank and thinning patience, some face the horror of returning empty-handed even after standing in line for hours as the fuel stations run out of supply.

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When WION observed fuel stations across the commercial capital in Colombo over the past few days, steady lines of vehicles and people standing with cans and bottles were visible at almost every fuel station.

So far, three senior citizens have died due to exhaustion and one was stabbed and killed while in line for fuel —a very saddening sight and reminder of the desperation, plight and anger of the people.

In light of the recent turmoil, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa initiated the All-Party Conference (APC) to seek solutions to the ongoing crisis.

Although the main opposition parties - The Samagi Janabalawegaya and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna—decided to boycott the conference, former prime minister Ranil Wickramasinghe decided to attend. In fact, he stole the limelight with his comments.

In the event, Wickremesinghe snapped back at the Central Bank Governor who opened his remarks by blaming the former government for the crisis in front of the parties who attended the APC casting aside their differences.

The former premiere also butted heads with the incumbent Finance Minister, Basil Rajapaksha, when an argument broke out over the latter’s demand to furnish the draft report of the International Monetary Fund at the Parliament.

Wickremesinghe said repeated requests for the IMF report on Sri Lanka were turned down by the government, adding that this was the reason for many political parties to boycott the All-Party Conference.

Finance Minister Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka has not received the full report from the IMF, to which the former prime minister responded that he was informed that the report in its entirety was submitted to the Government of Sri Lanka.

Rajapaksa said that what Sri Lanka received was a draft, and the government would add its comments to it and the final report will only be released following the IMF board approval.