Sirisena engineers a political coup to bring back erstwhile ally Rajapaksa; receives China’s backing
Ranil Wickremesinghe was at a mosque in the southwestern Galle district when he got the letter informing him that he was prime minister no more. President Maithripala Sirisena replaced Wickremesinghe with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 26, a few days after Wickremesinghe returned from a trip to India. Rajapaksa was at a wedding when Sirisena called him up, asking him to take charge at the earliest. After having had four meetings with Sirisena in the past two months, Rajapaksa was prepared. He readily agreed, while a defiant Wickremesinghe called the move unconstitutional and vowed to put up a fight.
Sirisena said an assassination plot against him—which apparently involved a cabinet minister—and several grave charges against Wickremesinghe forced him to sack the prime minister. In an address to the nation on October 28, Sirisena blamed Wickremesinghe of supporting corruption, planning to give away land to foreigners and of taking decisions without consulting him. “Under these political problems, economic troubles and the strong plot to assassinate me, the only alternative open to me was to invite former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and appoint him as prime minister,” said Sirisena.
The move was not entirely surprising as Sirisena and Wickremesinghe have never been natural allies. They joined hands in 2015 to oust Rajapaksa, who was then a common foe. Sirisena and Rajapaksa were members of the nationalist Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), while Wickremesinghe headed the liberal United National Party (UNP). In the 2015 presidential elections, Sirisena formed an alliance with Wickremesinghe, defeated Rajapaksa, and took over the leadership of the SLFP. Wickremesinghe was appointed prime minister. The two leaders set up a national unity government, bringing together the SLFP and UNP, two rival political parties whose ideology and governance styles were poles apart.
Esta historia es de la edición November 11, 2018 de THE WEEK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición November 11, 2018 de THE WEEK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Ram temple not an issue in south
Much has been said this election season about the alleged north-south divide.
Haute and sweaty
In Mumbai, where I live and work, there is a severe heatwave going on. The highest temperature this month has been 40 degrees, sweltering and humid for the coastal city.
MOVE AWAY MARY!
In many parts of the world,unique names are becoming popular
CALL OF THE WILD
Tejas Thackeray, the younger son of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, shares his passion for wildlife conservation and photography
CEPA and beyond
Bilateral trade between the UAE and India has grown almost 16 per cent year-on-year, touching $84.5 billion
Brash and raw
When I chanced upon Raj Narain, who humbled Indira Gandhi
Lone voice of dissent
“I am keen to invite Parakala [Prabhakar] to Mumbai… What do you think? Do you know him?” A friend asked. No, I don’t know the man. And no, it is not a good idea to invite him, unless you want to invite trouble, I replied.
Modi and the Muslim syndrome
I have long been intrigued by the prime minister’s desire to hug every passing sheikh and sultan and his contrasting contempt for the ordinary Indian Muslim.
Assam Rifles not trained to guard borders; need separate force for Manipur border
Imphal is blanketed in darkness. The sun has set a little too soon in the valley, but N. Biren Singh is yet to call it a day.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE SENTINELS
Manipur government wants the Assam Rifles replaced, but the Union home ministry is focused on upgrading infrastructure and connectivity before deciding who guards the state