Sunday Times E-Paper

Sri Lanka: From middle income nation to wearing only one shoe

Not many Sri Lankans are aware of how their motherland is perceived within the region or in a global context in the wake of the worst economic crisis the country is going through. For some of our neighbours in the region who used to look up to Sri Lanka for its standard of living and literacy rate etc, the sudden fall of Sri Lanka which was a middle income country just a few years ago to a bankrupt nation is still unbelievable.

This was evident when a local who was on a working trip to Kathmandu, Nepal last week happened to visit a busy pavement shop at Thamel for shoe shopping. Upon learning that the individual was from Sri Lanka, the bargain shifted towards the economic crisis in the country, the unceremonial ouster of a President and more importantly, the Sri Lanka cricket team winning the Asia Cup recently.

After a lengthy discussion and hearing about the grassroot situation in the country, the shop owner who is an ardent fan of Sri Lankan cricketers declared a significant amount as discount for the purchase considering the plight of his client's home country.

The visitor, who was a bit embarrassed hesitantly accepted the discount, but the last question from the shop owner put him in a fix. He asked: “No other country accepted a President who was forced to flee, but why did Sri Lankans allow your man to return home?” The local thought it was better to leave with the bargain than try explain the intricacies of the Sri Lankan Constitution to the man.

NEWS

en-lk

2022-10-02T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-10-02T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://sundaytimes.pressreader.com/article/281573769578741

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