Sri Lankans protests against govt project 'Go Gota Go' outside Presidents' office
Apr 18, 2022
Sri Lanka [Colombo], April 18 : Sri Lankans carried out a massive protest on Sunday night, against the Rajapaksa government projected 'Go Gota Go' outside the President's Office in Colombo, amid the country's economic crisis.
Meanwhile, massive protests are already taking place at Galle Face Green area in the capital city of Colombo as the Island nation is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices, and power cuts.
Protesters have been accusing Rajapaksa's government of corruption and misrule while demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa with the slogan of "Go Gota Go", the rallying cry of the protest that refers to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka is grappling with an economic crisis that has led to massive protests against the ruling Rajapaksa government.
Sri Lanka's economy has been under pressure since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A crash in the tourism sector was followed by a crash in the agriculture sector after the government's move to ban all chemical fertilizers in a bid to make the Island country's agriculture fully organic.
The country is facing a foreign exchange shortage, which has affected its capacity to import food and fuel, as well as resulted in the country defaulting on its foreign debt.
Sri Lanka's Opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) five MPs (Members of Parliament) will join the hundreds of protesters at Galle Face, the ongoing protests which erupted in the city of Colombo a few days back if the need arises.
"We are willing to forget party politics and join the protesters if the need arises," opposition MP Fernando said. "We will back the protesters, especially if the government tries to suppress their rights," he added.
The MPs appealed to the protesters to not get discouraged by the acts of the government.