COLOMBO : Protests on the streets have persisted even after Ranil Wickremesinghe was eleclted by the Sri Lankan Parliament to serve as the eighth President of the island nation.
Rampaging mobs had burnt down his home in a posh neighbourhood of the country's capital, Colombo, just days before his election, showing that the general public believes he is no different from Gotabaya Rajapakse, who has fled the country.
Well, Wickramasinghe is undoubtedly not a very well-liked president. He was the United National Party's lone winner in the most recent national election (UNP).
It is questionable if there is a better candidate than Wickramasinghe at this time, but the reality remains that the Parliament members have selected him to guide the country out of its crisis out of wisdom and in their capacity as elected representatives of the people.
Regardless of the negative aspects of his lengthy political career and his well-known preferences for and dislikes of China, their decision must be respected, and the 73-year-old veteran must be given a fair shot.
When a nation accumulates a USD 50 billion loan and is unable to pay even the interest due to empty coffers, things cannot be looking bright.
It is difficult to see how Sri Lanka can expect a generous economic package from the international community and financial institutions to bail it out in double-quick time given the severe mess the world is already in as a result of the Ukraine war. Time is of the importance given the unfortunate Sri Lankans' ongoing protests.
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