“It may be our Arab Spring moment. The demand for a total change is growing louder and louder. It is now being led by the younger generation. They are fed up with the old feudal and corrupt political system and parties. If they succeed, there will be a new Sri Lanka,” says Shashi Danatunge, an economist and political observer.
Thousands of young people have hit the streets across Sri Lanka, including national capital Colombo, urging the ruling Rajapaksa clan and their party to step down, allowing a smooth transfer of power to a transitional government to save the island from a complete economic collapse.
This uprising has shocked the establishment, triggering panic all over the country. The young, educated men and women have been leading the protest, demanding the old order to make way for the new. They are unrelenting, not ready to budge.
“But, as I understand, the government is trying to do some temporary patching up. Those would not work this time. This time, it is the people who are demanding the right course of action and not on the instructions of some other political party. Fooling is over and that generation is not involved. These demonstrations and demands are made by the youth,” says Danatunge.
The youth are using the social media platforms to spread the message and organise rallies. One can find youngsters from privileged backgrounds to poor families in these protests. Perhaps for the first time, they have all come together to change the system.
“We have decided to stay put. The government has already lost all credibility and moral authority. It should go. We will not leave till the end. We want to change the rottenly corrupt system once and for all,” says Nimali Abheyasinghe, a 30- year-old working woman staging dharna for government change.
The youth have decided to follow the non-violent ‘Satyagraha’ model to force the government out.
The severe economic hardships have affected almost everyone in the country irrespective of their creed and religion.
“We were used to rationing of everything and scarcity. The younger generation is not used to this. They don’t want to stand in a queue for even fuel and cooking gas. They have little patience for these things. They don’t tolerate mismanagement by the government like us,” says Danatunge.
With the political impasse continuing as the Rajapaksa brothers dig in their heels, the youth appear to be more determined to fight back with all their might.
After the Rajapaksa brothers’ feelers to the opposition to form a national government failed to get the desired response, protests outside the homes of the ruling party MPs started attracting more crowds, and the youth see a chance for a change.
If they succeed in ousting the government through peaceful means, it will be a huge achievement for Sri Lanka’s youth.
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