Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe conceded on Saturday to demands from protesters to resign over corruption and mismanagement that has led to the country’s deepening crisis. Rajapaksa promised to step down Wednesday, while Wickremesinghe said he would leave once a new government is in place. Sena Munasinghe, president of the Sri Lanka Canada Association of Brampton, said the leaders’ resignations are “long overdue” but added it’s unfortunate that it took violence and the destruction of property for them to step down. Katpana Nagendra, secretary and spokesperson for the Tamil Rights Group based in Markham, Ont., said the organization welcomes the change in regime but wonders if it will bring meaningful change. The organization alleged the Rajapaksa regime brought rampant corruption, nepotism, scant regards for minority rights, racist laws and poor fiscal policies to Sri Lanka.

Source: The Star July 13, 2022 03:40 UTC