But the new government was so bogged down by bickering and dysfunction that many voters apparently yearned for the order the Rajapaksas had imposed. Basil Rajapaksa, the new finance minister, played important roles in both of his brothers’ presidential campaigns and is seen as a pragmatic strategist within the family. “I don’t think we have faced such a serious crisis in our balance of payment in the last several decades. This means professional, technical input to solve this situation and get this country out of it,” said Harsha De Silva, an opposition lawmaker and an economist. “This family — they all think alike, and we have seen that because they have been in office since 2005, except for a few years.”

Source: International New York Times July 10, 2021 13:18 UTC