Sri Lanka’s Plight & Light – By Dr Harold Gunatillake

Harold-Gunethilake

Transcript:
Cardinal Ranjith appeals to Pope to solicit aid for Sri Lanka

“Fix responsibility on those accountable” Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith says that the need of the hour is the initiation of a high-profile investigation to find out how this country was dragged down to its present plight of being a beggar nation, fix responsibility for these crimes and find ways to recover the money stolen from the people.

“People have a right to know how the foreign reserves that had been at around seven to eight billion US dollars had dropped to zero within two years,” the Cardinal said at the Feast of the Sacred Heart Mass at the Ragama Hospital Chapel last week.

He asked how the gold stocks in the Central Bank had disappeared and why were they wasted irresponsibly.

“The disappearance of the gold will have to be investigated someday. People need to know who wasted this money,” Cardinal Ranjith said.

The Cardinal appealed to the international community to assist in providing Sri Lanka with medicines and equipment for hospitals amid its economic crisis.

“We urge Pope Francis to request the international community to assist Sri Lanka,” he said.

India is our main hope presently.

India has ignored the opposition and responded magnanimously out of humanitarian impulse and geopolitical interest in stemming China’s influence in Sri Lanka. Estimates of Indian humanitarian aid vary from US$ 3.5 billion to US$ 5.5 billion.

Conditions from the US to the IMF-Sri Lanka accords

The Foreign Relations Committee of the American Senate has said that any agreement should be reached in granting loans to Sri Lanka by the International Monetary Fund after meeting the following 3 points/ conditions. The committee states that it should be mandatory for Sri Lanka to confirm the independence of the Central Bank, strong anti-corruption measures and protection of the rule of law.

The committee points out that if the necessary steps are not taken, Sri Lanka will continue to suffer from poor economic management and an uncontrollable debt burden.

The relevant committee mentioned above in response to a statement by the International Monetary Fund that the new IMF program aims to restore economic stability and debt sustainability while protecting Sri Lanka’s financial strength and accelerating reforms to address corruption risks.

“Hand over the governance of the state to scholars if you can’t do it right” – Mahanayake Theros.

Therefore, the social and economic crises that have arisen should be resolved quickly, and immediate action should be taken to secure people’s lives.

‘Gotagohome’ protests against the President in the parliament

The meeting was adjourned for 10 minutes on July 5th, after the opposition raised objections against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Prime Minister in the Parliament chamber.

While Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was making a statement about the negotiations of the International Monetary Fund, the opposition started the protest by chanting ‘Gotagohome’. The President had come to Parliament, and the President could be seen smiling at the opposition’s protest.

Mr Ranil Wickramasinghe said the recent negotiations with the International Monetary Fund had been successfully concluded. However, the speaker postponed the meeting as the opposition MPs continued protesting.

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Ready to give the prime ministership to Anura

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in Parliament that he is ready to give the Prime ministership to MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who says the country can be built in six months.

“I request the president remove the cabinet and appoint Mr Anura Dissanayake as the prime minister. There is no need to go on the streets and protest. There is no need for street marches.

Anura responds to Ranil’s statement.

Mr Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Member of Parliament of the National People’s Power and JVP leader, says that the worst explosion in the economic path that Sri Lanka walked down for four decades has now occurred. Although it cannot be recovered in 7-8 months, it is possible to bring society back to normalcy within six months. He emphasises that he can provide fuel, gas, and medicine to the people, open schools and government institutions, prevent the danger of closing factories, create an opportunity for anglers to go to sea, return farmers to the fields, etc., in six months. Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said today that he is ready to hand over the Prime Ministership to MP Anura Kumara if the ongoing crisis can be resolved in 6 months.

Cardinal Ranjith requests the President and the Government to resign

His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith asks that the president and the government take responsibility for the tragic situation the country has fallen into, stop oppressing the people, resign from their positions and hand over the country’s future to the people.

Stating the current situation in the country, he points out that the people have to suffer immeasurable suffering due to the economic bankruptcy of the motherland, which has never happened before.

The announcement further stated that it was decided to make this statement on behalf of the country’s people as this situation cannot be kept silent any longer. I hope this video presentation on the latest Sri Lankan news was informative.

Stay safe, and goodbye for now.

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