Sri Lankan People Fight: When Injustice Is Replied To The Overthrow Of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was President of Sri Lanka in the 2019-2022 era. (Wikimedia Commons)

Unsensitive and corrupt leaders are often the enemy of the people. This condition occurred in Sri Lanka. The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is considered a common enemy because it brings the people to poverty. Life is getting more difficult. Prices of goods and fuel go up.

This condition was exacerbated by Gotabaya distributing positions to his family. They showed a luxurious lifestyle too. The people of Sri Lanka were furious, not playing. Actions took to the streets were carried out. An action that then toppled the Gotabaya corrupt regime.

The leadership of the Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka is not new. The Rajapaksa family has been taken into account in the old world of politics. Mainly, when Mahinda Rajapaksa shines in the world of politics. Mahinda's political career skyrocketed. He was able to become Sri Lanka's Prime Minister (PM) from 2004-2005.

He was also able to become President of Sri Lanka in the 2005-2015 era. Mahinda's leadership has also received a lot of criticism. He is like building a political dynasty. Corrupt too. He places his relatives in important positions in government.

Mahinda's leadership did end in 2015. However, that does not mean that the influence of the Rajapaksa family continues to end. This influence made Mahinda's younger sister Gotabaya Rajapaksa rise to become the new Sri Lankan President since 2019.

Gotabaya then echoed all tribes in Sri Lanka to unite to build a country dubbed the Mutiara Samudra Indies. Problems arise. Far from fire. Instead, he often applies divided politics between tribes in Sri Lanka.

Gotabaya was indeed able to get many votes during the election. However, power is doubtful about having a long life. This condition is because Gotabaya applies the same thing as her brother, Mahinda.

He tried to strengthen the political dynasty of the Rajapaksa family. His family members dominated important positions in Sri Lanka, from brother to nephew. The anger of the Sri Lankan people has finally erupted since the COVID-19 pandemic greeted.

The pandemic not only brought the corona virus, but COVID-19 actually exposed Gotabaya's depravity in leading Sri Lanka. Gotabaya's regime is known to be corrupt. The officials also liked fun. COVID-19 then exacerbated the economic crisis.

Inflation reached more than 50 percent. The state defaults on debt. Sri Lanka was also on the verge of bankruptcy. This condition actually made Gotabaya increase the price of goods and fuel. Political turmoil ensued.

Economic crisis has hit the country since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Annual inflation reached 18.7 percent this March. This is the highest inflation since October 2008. The government has imposed a ban on imports since March 2020.

The function is to save the foreign currency needed to pay off debt installments of nearly 7 billion US dollars this year out of total debt of 51 billion US dollars. This crisis caused a spike in food prices and fuel shortages. Several state hospitals have even experienced drug shortages and stopped routine operations," wrote Tempo magazine report entitled Sri Lanka Riots (2022).

In the past, it was difficult for the people of Sri Lanka to unite because of ethnic differences. Conflicts of racism seemed to be maintained by the government and never lost. No leader has been able to unite all ethnic groups from Sinhala to Tamil in Sri Lanka.

Interestingly, all tribes finally unite in the name of injustice. This condition was triggered by the lives of the Sri Lankan people falling at the lowest level. The economic crisis is out of control. This condition made the people angry.

Actions took to the streets have emerged everywhere since March 2022. They made Gotabaya Rajapaksa a common enemy. Gotabaya is considered to only think about the life of his own family and officials. People are forgotten.

Gotabaya is reluctant to listen to the screams of its people. Instead, he still applies an emergency status in Sri Lanka -- especially in Colombo. This condition made the authorities act harshly against protesters. Protests that were initially peaceful started to riot. Take for example in May 2022. Many actions turned into parades of violence.

This condition made the anger of the Sri Lankan people unbearable. They responded by attacking the homes and vehicles of Gotabaya's supporting politicians. Some of the officials of his house were looted and burned.

This situation made Gotabaya resign on July 11, 2022. Gotabaya himself had already brought his family to flee to the Maldives for fear of being beaten by the masses.

The end of the power of Rajapaksa family was greeted with joy. The people of Sri Lanka also hope that the next leader can care more about the fate of the people.

Many see the actions of the Sri Lankan people not only resulting in a presidential defeat. However, also the defeat of the entire Rajapaksa family, which has been the most powerful political dynasty in Sri Lanka for two decades. President Rajapaksa, along with his brother Mahinda, who served as president between 2005 and 2015 and at that time served as prime minister in the regime.

"Basil, who serves as minister of finance, and several other Rajapaksa who hold cabinet positions and secretaries, are collectively accused of bankrupting the country by focusing power in their families. Then the family is involved in rampant corruption, mismanagement of the economy, militarization of government, and divisive racist politics," said Hannah Ellis-Petersen in her writing The Guardian page entitled "I Screamed and Cried : How Sri Lankan Protesters Unseated their President (2022).