Epicentre Colombo
The visuals from Colombo are testimony to the frustration and anger of a long suffering people finally boiling over (Page 1, “Amid protests, Gotabaya agrees to quit”, July 10) Things would not have come to such a pass had the ruling dispensation heeded the signs earlier and forged a process of forming a national unity government. The appeal by young protesters to the people taking over the Presidential Secretariat not to vandalise or take away items from the premises also exemplifies the civil nature of the agitation. This is a high point.
Finally, rulers all over the world should take this lesson to heart: if they wish to take credit for and bask in the glory of ‘good times’, they should be equally ready to pay for the ‘bad times’ visiting the people due to their policies. After all, this is what comes of hyperbole, megalomaniacal self-glorification and a concentration of power.
Firoz Ahmad,
New Delhi
The anger of the common man in Sri Lanka reminds one of the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 in France. Sri Lanka is facing a terrible economic crisis. The Rajapaksa clan refused to read the writing on the wall until public anger forced them out. One only hopes that an interim government will be formed soon. Are there any lessons for India? Yes. There are reasons to be concerned about inflation, unprecedented unemployment, a falling rupee and Current Account Deficit. And of course, growing communal tensions.
S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru
The political and economic crises in Sri Lanka have left the island-nation in shreds. Enough damage has been done by the Rajapaksa government. The Sri Lankan example must be an eye-opener to other countries to show and prove that economic mismanagement has the potential to land any government in serious trouble. The life of the people cannot be taken for granted.
K.V. Seetharamaiah,
Bengaluru
Shinzo Abe
The mindless killing of the former Japan Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, will go down in world history as one of its darkest days. The expansive and expatiating tributes and articles in dailies on Mr. Abe and his legacy show that the world has lost a tall leader — a void that will be very hard to fill.
Mani Natarajan,
Chennai
