The uprising in Sri Lanka triggered by the worst economic crisis the country has ever faced since its independence in 1948, has refused to die down despite the resignation of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Months of peaceful agitation turned violent last weekend as thousands of protestors broke into the presidential mansion in Colombo, demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The chilling scenes of protesters taking a dip in the swimming pool of the presidential palace, working out in the gym and having food in the kitchen reflected the extent of the chaos in the island nation. This development has forced the president to flee the residence and made him convey the willingness to step down today, on July 13. Interim Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose private residence has been burned down by angry protestors, has also agreed to resign when an alternative all-party government is in place in an attempt to bail the country out of the economic crisis. The ongoing public outrage is clearly an outcome of disappointment accumulated over the years and suppression of dissent, which is why it is refusing to die down despite the possibilities of protests being countered with iron hands. The COVID-19 pandemic has a role in this crisis but it is largely due to economic mismanagement by the lawmakers. Now, the people of the country want nothing less than relief from their day-to-day economic problems. Given this situation, the political elites of the country should rise above their differences and steer the country out of the mayhem.
Today, it is Sri Lanka that has defaulted on its debt but many other countries are on the brink of falling into a similar predicament. A number of developing nations are currently reeling under severe economic crisis, while Bloomberg Economics has tagged countries like El Salvador, Ghana, Egypt, Tunisia and Pakistan as more ‘vulnerable to default’. Some countries have taken up measures like increasing social spending to avoid a possible economic collapse but experts see it as a short-term remedy that could create more chaos in the future if no concrete steps are taken during the interim period. Developing countries are at a higher risk of facing an uprising due to huge economic and power disparity between lawmakers and the general public. If pushed to the edge, repressive tactics and divisive politics that governments employ to stay in power can act as a uniting force of the people to revolt and topple any regime, as is seen in Sri Lanka. The breakdown of governance and subsequent development in the island nation has sent out a clear message to the rest of the world that the real power lies with the people, more so in a democracy.