Naoya Tsuchiya (Journalist) ■The new president leads change The presidential election was held in Sri Lanka on September 21st, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake (55), leader of the populist left-wing People Power Party, was elected and took office on the 23rd. He has promised tax cuts that go against the austerity measures he promised to the IMF, which could strain relations with developed Western countries. China will likely take advantage of this. In 2022, the country experienced a shortage of foreign currency due to a sharp decline in tourists caused by COVID-19, and defaulted on its overseas loans. It is an economic crisis. With his official residence surrounded by protesters, then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as president with the approval of parliament. President Wickremesinghe was a pro-Japanese, pro-Western government that stabilized the economy with the help of the IMF. Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, tourists have started to return, and the economy is on the upswing. However, austerity measures had to be implemented, which led to dissatisfaction among the general public who were struggling to make ends meet. Although Wickremesinghe himself has never been involved in any corruption scandals, the fact that he comes from a so-called privileged class has also contributed to his lack of popularity. In this presidential election, the opposition candidate pledged to revitalize the economy as well as to combat corruption in order to clean up the political world that is dominated by the privileged class. That was the main reason for the successful change of government. The people are calling for “renewal” and “change.” The new president’s party, the Sri Lanka People’s Liberation Front (JVP), is a nationalist party that advocates Marxism. During the civil war, they were an extremist force that was not afraid to engage in armed struggle, although they distinguished themselves from Tamil anti-government armed groups. By incorporating the far-left JVP faction, the People’s Power Party steered more toward the center and gained support in the presidential election. But with only three seats in parliament, governing will be tough. Furthermore, relations with Western countries could become unstable. During the election campaign, he declared that he would keep his promises to the IMF, but if he implements economic stimulus measures such as tax cuts as promised, it will contradict the austerity measures he promised to the IMF. If China tries to respond to the people’s expectations for change, it will inevitably clash with Western developed countries and established forces within the country. Since his election, the new president has advocated reconciliation regarding the ethnic conflict that is Sri Lanka’s biggest problem. The majority are Sinhalese who are Buddhists, the minority are Hindu Tamils who have many supporters overseas, and there is also a small minority of Muslims. If the conflict between the three parties intensifies, the government’s foundation will quickly crumble. The new president’s political sense is not bad, as he was the first to advocate reconciliation. However, in Sri Lanka, which is completely dependent on overseas sources for energy and other supplies, the biggest economic issue is how to make up for the shortage of foreign currency. If trying to meet the expectations of the people causes relations with the IMF to become strained, the situation will become unstable. If financial difficulties arise, China is likely to offer assistance. For China, Sri Lanka is in a key location for transporting crude oil from the Middle East. It is a country that holds the key to China’s stability in the Indian Ocean. In fact, the previous government led by the Rajapaksa family, which ended the civil war, was extremely pro-China. In southern Sri Lanka, where the clan’s political base is located, port development and an airport are being carried out with Chinese capital. The construction of a vast 269-hectare reclaimed land in the capital Colombo with Chinese capital and the establishment of a “Port City” special economic zone there are also said to have been approved under the leadership of the family. Relations with neighbouring India are also delicate. India, which has a historically bitter relationship with China, is unlikely to be happy about China’s encroachment into Sri Lanka. After a pro-China government came to power in the Indian Ocean island nation of the Maldives last year, India’s Modi administration strengthened its naval base in southern India facing the Indian Ocean. This is to intimidate the Maldives. Former President Wickremesinghe distanced himself from the Chinese by not allowing Chinese research vessels to dock in Sri Lanka. Many Sri Lankans do not have a favorable view of China. China has repeatedly been found to have given money to influential politicians. Therefore, Chinese money is viewed as black money. That is why the new president has never shown a pro-China stance. Does the new president have the skill to extract “concessions” from Japan, Europe, the United States, and India while dangling the China card? (Source below) Published on 9/25 (Wed) 6:05.
>>2 That’s what communism is like. Accounts that repeatedly repeat the same acupuncture points have been corroding this country for years, and it is still in a perpetual state of termites.
>>2 This is the second time in total The first time, they took advantage of the anti-British sentiment, nitpicked on the credit ratio from patriotism, and got a naval base by forcing themselves into debt Then, even though they cut ties, they took advantage of the people’s dissatisfaction with domestic politics and stuck with it a second time (a strategy of repeatedly chanting about tax increases and glasses).
If we support India and develop a huge, state-of-the-art port, they will be completely immune to China’s influence. India is connected to the continent, so it should be able to explore transportation routes other than the Belt and Road Initiative. Invest here.
Both China and India have nuclear weapons, so they can’t have a naval war, right? Instead of building a naval port in Sri Lanka, shouldn’t China be investing the money in its own country?
After China messed them up, they asked the West for help, and now they’re going to suck up to China again. Sri Lanka is made of stupidity and ingratitude. It would be better if India ruled it directly.
Ah, this is it. It’s the guy who was constantly promoting Marxism and anti-Americanism here lol. It’s funny how he’s so weak that he turned the country upside down, but he really is doing this all over the world.
India openly supported a Sri Lankan separatist terrorist organization, so it’s no wonder they’re hated. In the past, 2chan spread false information such as “It’s supported by the Chinese Communist Party” or “It’s an Islamic terrorist organization” (in reality, as mentioned above, it’s a Hindu-based organization supported by India.
A local expert said on the BBC that, “What Sri Lanka needs is an economic system that follows a capitalist system, but the new president is a Marxist and is the exact opposite. It’s only a matter of time before we fall into political instability.” This is the first time I’ve heard someone living in a country ruled by a red president say something like this lol.
Japanese politicians and foreign affairs bureaucrats should learn to leave idiots alone. They think that in the end, if they just go crying to them, something will be done, right?
We’re on the fast track to becoming a vassal state of China. Japan’s mass media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and political parties are all being heavily infiltrated by China, so I think we need to be careful.
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