- Title: Sri Lankans have extremely high expectations of new president, analyst says
- Date: 21st July 2022
- Summary: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (JULY 21, 2022) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** MAIN ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST SITE WITH WORLD TRADE CENTER TOWERS STANDING IN BACKGROUND WORLD TRADE CENTER TWIN TOWERS IN COLOMBO'S MAIN BUSINESS DISTRICT PEOPLE WALKING IN BUSINESS DISTRICT VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ENTERING WORLD TRADE CENTER BUILDING SRI LANKA'S CENTRAL BANK, BANK OF CEYLON, STANDING NEXT TO WORLD TRADE CENTER SIGN, READING (English and Sinhala): "BANK OF CEYLON" POLITICAL ANALYST AND SENIOR RESEARCHER WITH THE CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES, BHAVANI FONSEKA, WALKING PAST (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLITICAL ANALYST AND SENIOR RESEARCHER WITH THE CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES, BHAVANI FONSEKA, SAYING: "Well, Ranil Wickremesinghe carries a lot of baggage, not just in terms of the Rajapaksas but his own past. He doesn't have the trust of many in the public and among the protesters and his legitimacy has also been questioned. So there's a lot of challenges he will face, and he's also perceived as being very close to the Rajapaksas. So, he would have to take the lead in reaching out to people, show that he is willing to engage, genuinely engage, and that he wants to hear from the different stakeholders, that it's not a very elite-driven, top-down approach. So, it's very much in his court to see what his next steps are. I think what's going to be critical is to see how he forms the government, who is going to be his Prime Minister, who is going to come into cabinet, so these are critical days ahead. But a lot is riding on Ranil Wickremesinghe and to see what kind of agenda, what kind of programme he brings in." COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (JULY 20, 2022) (REUTERS) SRI LANKA'S PRESIDENT-ELECT RANIL WICKREMESINGHE ARRIVING TO OFFER PRAYERS AT GANGARAMAYA TEMPLE WICKREMESINGHE WALKING IN TEMPLE COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (JULY 21, 2022) (REUTERS) MAKESHIFT TENTS PITCHED ON GALLE SEA FACE NEAR PROTEST SITE SRI LANKAN FLAGS FLYING NEXT TO STATUE OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER S.W.R.D. BANDARANAIKE ARMED SECURITY STANDING GUARD POSTER, READING (English): "WE ARE OUR OWN LEADERS" (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLITICAL ANALYST AND SENIOR RESEARCHER WITH THE CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES, BHAVANI FONSEKA, SAYING: "Well, he was Prime Minister since 12th of May and he commenced that discussions with the IMF and with others, so, he has made ambitious promises that he would bring in international assistance, stability to Sri Lanka. So, there is a lot of expectation that the president will be able to bring some form of relief to people. This is an unprecedented crisis, so the expectations are extremely high. The question is whether he will be able to deliver and when he would be able to deliver because people are getting very, very frustrated." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SCUFFLING AND ARGUING AT FUEL STATION (SOUNDBITE) (English) 24-YEAR-OLD RESIDENT WHO WORKS IN SHOWROOM, ARZAN NAWAZ, SAYING: "We have to wait for petrol for four days. For (cooking) gases (cylinders), we have to wait for hours and hours. After four months only we are getting gas, for that also we have to wait. They are issuing only 1,000 gases (cylinders). For transportation, we have to wait for a bus for more than one hour. After one hour, that bus is also fully packed, we can't go in that also. Even for medicines, there is no medicine, there is no ambulance also for emergencies. Only people are helping people, not the government or any other facilities." AUTO-RICKSHAW DRIVER MANUALLY PUSHING HIS THREE-WHEELER SCOOTER IN PETROL QUEUE VARIOUS OF MOTORISTS WAITING IN LINE AT PETROL STATION MOTORISTS TALKING WHILE WAITING IN LINE FOR FUEL (SOUNDBITE) (Sinhala) 42-YEAR-OLD RESIDENT AND DELIVERY WORKER, NISHANT KUMARA, SAYING: "President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been in politics for more than 30 odd years and I don't believe that he has the capabilities of taking care of this country's needs and requirements of the Sri Lankan people." LONG LINE OF AUTO-RICKSHAWS QUEUING FOR FUEL PEOPLE MANUALLY PUSHING AUTO-RICKSHAW ON ROAD MAN'S FEET WHILE PUSHING AUTO-RICKSHAW BUS AND VEHICLES DRIVING PAST LONG LINE OF AUTO-RICKSHAWS
- Embargoed: 4th August 2022 13:51
- Keywords: Analyst Bank of Ceylon Bhavani Fonseka Colombo Fuel station President Queues Ranil Wickremesinghe Scuffle for fuel Sri Lanka Temple visit World Trade Center
- Location: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
- City: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001351021072022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Sri Lankans have huge expectations of their new president Ranil Wickremesinghe to lead the island nation out of its worst economic crisis in decades, an analyst said on Thursday (July 21).
The country of 22 million people has been crippled by a lack of foreign currency, triggering shortages of fuel, food, and medicines as prices soar.
"This is an unprecedented crisis, so the expectations are extremely high. The question is whether he will be able to deliver and when he would be able to deliver because people are getting very, very frustrated," said Bhavani Fonseka, a political analyst and senior researcher at the Center for Policy Alternatives based in the commercial capital of Colombo.
People's exasperation was palpable on the streets of Colombo, where scuffles among people waiting in days-long fuel queues have increased, according to residents.
Wickremesinghe, a six-time Prime Minister, succeeded Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled Sri Lanka and resigned from his post last week after mass protests over his handling of the economy. The veteran politician, who was sworn in on Thursday (July 21), is unpopular among some protesters who stormed his official residence this month when he was prime minister and burnt down his private house.
"He doesn't have the trust of many in the public and among the protesters and his legitimacy has also been questioned. So there's a lot of challenges he will face," Fonseka said.
"These are critical days ahead, but a lot is riding on Ranil Wickremesinghe."
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