Loyalists turn against Sri Lanka's president amid economic crisis
The economic crisis is causing protestors to delegitimize the presidency.
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Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka is under increasing pressure to step down on Saturday, as the presidency's allies have supported street protests and have been calling for resignation as the economic crisis in the country aggravates.
Nalaka Godahewa, the media minister, announced his support for the thousands protesting against Rajapaksa outside his office, in demand for him and his family to give up power.
Sri Lanka hasn't suffered a worse economic meltdown since its independence in 1948. Its population has been experiencing frequent blackouts over the months in addition to shortages of fuel, food, medicine, and other essentials.
Read more: Sri Lanka to default on all foreign debt
Protests have spread throughout the country in an expression of grievance about the deteriorating living standards. Civilians have been camping outside the president's office for over two weeks now.
The president has so far dropped two of his brothers, Chamal and Basil, and his nephew, Namal, from the cabinet. However, protesters rejected the changes as "cosmetic," as they do not solve the core of the issue.
Godahewa, previously a Rajapaksa loyalist, said the president should fire his elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is prime minister and the head of the family. Instead, an all-party interim government should come into control.
Furthermore, he argued that the government lost all its credibility after the police killed a protestor on Tuesday, offering to resign. However, the president rejected the resignation.
"We need to restore political stability to successfully meet the economic crisis," Godahewa said in a statement on his Facebook page. "The entire cabinet, including the prime minister, should resign and (there should be) an interim cabinet that can win the confidence of all."
