Ex-Sri Lankan Chief Justice reproaches Colombo govt for its 'total failure'

Former Chief Justice of Sri Lanka Sarath Nanda Silva, while speaking on the economic crisis in the Island nation, held the Colombo government responsible for the crisis and said that it had totally failed to address the problems faced by the citizens.

In an interview with ANI, Silva said, "The Sri Lankan government has failed to respond to the problems being faced by the people. This is the reason the people have taken to the streets. If the government is a total failure, then the Supreme court cannot do anything."

These comments come at a time when Sri Lanka has been gripped by an economic crisis considered the worst since the country gained independence in 1948.

A massive protest against the Sri Lankan government, and particularly the Rajapaksa family has been going on in the Galle Face Green area of Colombo for many days.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'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.Sri Lanka 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.

In a recent development, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday appointed 17 Cabinet Ministers even while anti-government protests continue to pick steam following the economic and political crisis in the country.