COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s ousted president claims he did his best to avoid an economic catastrophe but the pandemic derailed his efforts, according to his resignation letter, read out to parliament on Saturday.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s brief note, sent from the safety of a safe haven in Singapore, blamed Covid-19 for the financial meltdown that triggered months of protests, culminating in his humiliating escape abroad.

“I have contributed my utmost for the country and in the future too, I will contribute,” Rajapaksa said in the letter, read to MPs by the parliamentary secretary general.

It was not clear whether he was signalling an intention to remain involved in politics from exile.

Rajapaksa claimed the country’s reserves were already low when he took office in November 2019 but official figures show Sri Lanka had $7.5 billion in foreign exchange reserves when he took over, dropping to just $1 million by the time he quit. The country is officially bankrupt.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2022