Sri Lanka’s embattled president Gotabaya Rajapaksa struck a defiant tone in his first international interview since anti-government protests started in April, vowing not to step down and pledging not to cut the state’s heavy military expenditure.
Speaking to Bloomberg at his official residence in Colombo, Rajapaksa did however state he would not stand for re-election.
“I can’t go as a failed president,” said Rajapaksa. “I have been given a mandate for five years. I will not contest again.”
As protests against his regime continued and an economic crisis burdened by heavy government expenditure spirals, Rajapaksa admitted that changes had to be made.
“The subsidy system will have to go,” he said. “We cannot cut down on public servants or the military,” Rajapaksa added, however. “We can decrease by cutting down on recruitment.”
Sri Lanka’s defence budget continues to dominate government spending. According to Janes, the proposed defence allocation accounts for 15% of total government expenditure for 2022, a 14% increase over the allocation in 2021. Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan soldiers remain occupying the Tamil North-East, where they impinge on several aspects of daily civic life in the region.
Rajapaksa was also sceptical about any proposed constitutional changes being passed.
“You can’t have a mixed system,” he said. “I experienced this and now know. People may blame me when I tell this but that’s the truth.”
Read more from Bloomberg here.