‘The Mood In Sri Lanka Is Volatile, Government Has To Tread Carefully’

NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka has tough challenges ahead given the volatile mood in the street, political discord and the pending negotiations over the IMF loan which will come only if the government accepts very stiff conditions. Those conditions needless to say, will be very unpopular with the public.

In this chat on The Gist, Dr. Chulanee Attanayake, South Asia studies scholar at the National University of Singapore, warns that although a political arrangement is now in place, whether and how long it will last is not clear. New Prime Minister Ranil Wickeramasinghe is an old political war horse with only one seat in parliament, his own. It seems pretty clear he is there to carry out the dictates of President Gotabaya Rajpaksa.

Public sentiment is against any kind of foreign interference and there is a fair amount of anger at China, which is seen to have struck deals with the governments of the day over the last few years. Dr. Attanayake also believes India has learnt from the past and is working in a manner that is seen, for now, as perhaps more acceptable.

Tune in for more in this chat with Dr. Chulanee Attanayake of the National University of Singapore.