The Church of Ceylon in a statement has noted with deep concern the deterioration of the state of Sri Lanka's economy and the "sheer sense of apathy with which those in power are approaching the plethora of problems faced by the people of our land". "It has been nearly two months since a new Prime Minister was sworn in, much against the wishes of the people and ignoring the advice of Religious Leaders and civil society. The Cabinet that took office thereafter has failed to take any meaningful steps to alleviate the suffering of our people or secure any assistance from any party to improve the state of the economy," it said. Additionally, the Church of Ceylon opined that the "present illegitimate Government" is only capable of providing a commentary on the deteriorating state of the country from time to time and warning the people to prepare for worse. "There is no plan of action, no clear roadmap or strategy for short, medium- and longterm recovery. It has now come to an absurd point where even the Ministers of this administration are openly calling for the resignation of each other. Clearly, there is no legitimacy for this Government even from within its own ranks," the statement noted. Accordingly, the Church of Ceylon reaffirm their call for the following: 1. The immediate resignation of the President who has to take personal responsibility for driving this country to a state of bankruptcy. We wish to remind the President that a term of office can only be legitimate if the people still have confidence in the individual. The overwhelming call for his resignation from Religious leaders, to Civil society and the average man and woman on the street is a clear reflection that he has no mandate to govern this country anymore. 2. The Immediate resignation of the Prime Minister who never had the legitimacy to hold office. It is clear that there is no plan and no action to revive the economy other than the people having to tighten their belts and die in queues. The past two months has demonstrated the inept inability and incapability of the present administration to grapple with the burning issues of our land. The fact that the situation has only got worse is clearly a testimony to this fact. 3.The formation of a truly representative interim administration which can regain the confidence of our own people and that of the international community. Such administration will be called to manage the present crisis swiftly while devising suitable short, medium and long-term strategies for economic revival. We are convinced that our country has much potential to rise and bounce back strongly if there is agreement on a common framework for governance and support for a realistic plan for economic recovery. Afterall, the vast majority of our people are intelligent, honest and hardworking men and women who have seen their dreams shattered overnight due to no fault of theirs. We must seek leadership which is capable of rallying our people at this time. 4. The urgent enactment of Constitutional reforms to prune down powers of Executive Presidency and reintroduce Independent Commissions. Strengthening the role of Parliament and securing the independence of other institutions which are essential to maintain checks and balances in governance are essential for this nation to progress with dignity. Such reforms should be the result of consensus drawn from all sectors of the people and should necessarily safeguard the interests of all communities. 5. The immediate reopening of schools by providing necessary facilities and prioritized support to function as normal as possible even with difficulty.