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Ranil Wickremesinghe's two decisions after swearing in as Sri Lanka's acting president
Soon after taking charge as the acting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe prohibited the use of ‘His Excellency’ to introduce the president.
Sri Lanka prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe- who assumed charge as the acting president after Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned - has taken two decisions as protests across the island nation continued over the country's worst economic crisis that has left people without essentials such as fuel, electricity and medicines.
Soon after taking charge as the acting president, he prohibited the use of ‘His Excellency’ to introduce the president. He also abolished the presidential flag. According to reports, the flag is personal to every president of Sri Lanka as the design changes when a new president assumes office.
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"As Acting President, I will take two more decisions. The use of the word "His Excellency" to introduce the President is officially prohibited. As well as the presidential flag will be abolished," said Ranil Wickremesinghe – who took charge of the crisis-hit nation a month ago following Mahinda Rajapaksa's exit after public anger boiled.
He also appointed a special committee consisting of the chief of defence staff, the inspector general of police, and the commanders of the three armed forces and gave them full freedom to take legal action without any political interference, reported news agency ANI. This came as hundreds of thousands of people took over government buildings in Colombo, blaming the Rajapaksa family and allies for runaway inflation, shortages of basic goods, and corruption. The protests have been raging for months as the shortage of essential supplies continued.
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In an apparent warning to protesters, Wickremesinghe also said, "We must create an environment for MPs so that they can express their opinion independently. They will be provided with full protection. We will not allow any group to destroy the democracy in Parliament."
Rajapaksa himself fled to the Maldives on Wednesday and then reached Singapore on Thursday following massive protests against his government.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.
Wickremesinghe - who had also promised to resign but is now interim president instead - imposed a state of emergency across Sri Lanka.
(With agency inputs)
