As in every corner of the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has sharply intensified the crisis of the Sri Lankan capitalist class and President Gotabhaya Rajapakse’s government.
Addressing parliament on Tuesday, Wickremesinghe called for all parties of the political establishment to set aside tactical differences and impose new austerity measures.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe aims to gouge an additional 300 billion rupees annually from his new tax measures, half of that amount from increasing VAT.
The arrests are part of the Rajapakse-Wickremesinghe government’s preparation for a broader crackdown on the working class as it imposes the International Monetary Fund’s austerity measures.