Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe attends the country’s 75th Independence Day celebrations at Galle Face Green in Colombo, Sri Lanka February 4, 2023.
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka marked the 75th anniversary of its independence on Saturday as a bankrupt country, with many citizens angry, worried and in no mood to celebrate.
Many Buddhists and Christian clerics have announced a boycott of the celebration in the capital, while activists and others have expressed anger at what they see as a waste of money in times of crisis. serious economic crisis.
Despite the criticism, armed troops marched along the main promenade in Colombo, displaying military equipment as navy ships sailed at sea and helicopters and planes flew over the city.
Catholic priest Rev. Cyril Gamini called this year’s celebration of independence from British rule a “crime and waste” at a time when the country is in such economic trouble.
“We asked the government which independence day they would proudly celebrate by spending 200 million rupees ($548,000),” said Gamini, adding that the Catholic Church does not condone spending. wages were paid for the celebration and no priests attended the ceremony.
About 7% of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people in the Buddhist-majority country are Christians, mostly Catholics. Despite being in the minority, the views of the church are respected.
The famous Buddhist monk Rev. Omalpe Sobitha said there was no reason to celebrate and the ceremony was just an exhibition of weapons made by other countries.
Sri Lanka is practically bankrupt and has suspended paying its nearly $7 billion foreign debt due this year pending the outcome of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
The nation’s total external debt exceeds $51 billion, of which $28 billion is due by 2027. Unsustainable debt and a severe balance of payments crisis, in addition to lingering scars from the COVID-19 pandemic- 19, has led to severe shortages of essentials such as fuel, medicine and food.
Shortages led to protests last year that forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to leave the country and resign.
There have been signs of improvement under President Ranil Wickremesinghe, but power cuts continue due to fuel shortages, hospitals facing drug shortages and the treasury struggling to raise wages. for government employees.
The economic crisis has made people angry and indifferent to political leaders.
To manage the country’s spending, the government has sharply increased income taxes and announced a 6% cut in funds allocated to each ministry this year. In addition, the army, which has grown to more than 200,000 members during the protracted civil war, will be nearly halved by 2030.
A group of activists began a quiet protest on Friday in the capital, condemning the government’s celebration of independence and failing to ease the economic burden.
