Sri Lanka has, in recent years, in particular, been suffering from debt-related problems. These have caused some of its citizens to take to the streets, where they have launched protests around the country. In the capital of Colombo, protestors have even protested outside the residences of senior government officials, calling for the ousting of the current President and the establishment of a new cabinet. These protests have been at least somewhat successful, as the President recently announced a reshuffling of his cabinet, with some ministers stepping down from their roles.

Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa has been in power since 2019, and during his administration, he has appointed various members of his family to take on ministerial positions. This decision has been widely criticized, as the country has been struggling to pay its debts, as well as imports of fuel and other necessities, which has led to power cuts of more than 7 hours a day. Fortunately, the President has announced the purchase of more fuel, which should reduce the nationwide power cuts to just 6.5 hours a day, but this still has an immense effect on the population and the economy.

Aside from economic reforms, the President has also implemented changes to his cabinet. The Finance Minister, Basil Rajapaksa, the President’s younger brother, has now been replaced by the former Justice Minister. The President’s nephew has also resigned from his position as Sports Minister. These changes show that President Rajapaksa is committed to improving the livelihoods of Sri Lankans; however, one could also argue that he is simply replacing his family members with close allies, and therefore this round of reshuffling of the cabinet is simply a charade.

Many protestors, and the opposition, do believe that the government needs to be completely ousted and that a simple reshuffling will not solve the issue. The leader of Sri Lanka’s opposition, Sajith Premadasa, has proclaimed that “this is a crooked and corrupt government that has brought the people to their knees. The demand of the people is a government like this must go home immediately.” The various opposition parties have called for an “all-party interim government” that would temporarily return the country to normal operations. Following the restoration of essential services, the opposition has pledged to launch parliamentary elections to allow the people “To decide their next leaders, not anybody else,” said Udaya Gammanpila of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya party.

The opposition’s promise seems to imply that reforms are on their way in Sri Lanka, which will hopefully restore peace to its society.