Sri Lanka's Church calls on President, PM to resign amid economic crisis

Colombo [Sri Lanka], July 8 : Amid the ongoing economic crisis and shortage of fuel and gas, Sri Lanka's Church of Ceylon has called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to immediately resign alleging they have failed to take any meaningful steps to alleviate the suffering of the people.
A statement was issued by the Church through which they asked the President to take personal responsibility for driving the country to a state of bankruptcy and form a truly representative interim administration which can regain the confidence of the Sri Lankan people and the international community, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.
"We are extremely concerned that our people are dying on the streets and languishing in fuel queues for days to get a meagre supply of petrol and diesel. The increasing rate of suicide and crime is indicative of the extent of desperation to which our society has plunged," the statement added.
"We wish to remind the President that a term of office can only be legitimate if the people still have confidence in the individual. The overwhelming call for his resignation from religious leaders, to civil society and the average man and woman on the street is a clear reflection that he has no mandate to govern this country anymore," the Daily Mirror reported citing the statement.
They said the present "illegitimate government" is only capable of providing a commentary on the deteriorating state of the country from time to time and warning the people to prepare for worse.
"The suffering masses will have no option but to intensify their struggle since they are not heard by those selfishly clinging on to power. As a Church, we will support and stand by our people as they engage in peaceful demonstrations commencing from July 8, calling for meaningful change in the direction of our country. We continue to pray for our land and for wisdom to navigate through these difficult times," it added.
Sri Lanka has been facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, leading to an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas, and fuel across the island nation.
The economic crisis has particularly impacted food security, agriculture, livelihoods and access to health services.
Sri Lanka is one of the few nations named by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which is expected to go without food due to the global food shortage expected this year.