Gotabaya Rajapaksa speech fails to reassure as crisis grows

Sri Lankans have slammed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s speech on Wednesday night, in which he defied calls to quit and promised to restore order.

He offered to cede some of the presidency’s power to parliament in his first national address since the protests began last month, but gave no timetable.

Sri Lankans who had been asking for his resignation because of the country’s unparalleled economic crisis were unimpressed.

Many people complained that the speech didn’t address the genuine concerns.

“Where were you for the last 30 days? People don’t have medicine, people don’t have food, the entire country’s at a standstill,” Kavindya Thennakoon, a protester told.

“The reforms he’s suggesting are not what we need. What we need right now is for [the president] to resign from office… It baffles my mind that Gotabaya Rajapaksa doesn’t understand that.”

Supporters of Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked anti-government demonstrators and demolished two demonstration sites.

There where thousands gathered.

Weeks of peaceful protests against the government turned violent on Monday.