In a fiery TV appearance, Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe shocked viewers by pointing the finger at Sri Lanka’s middle class, accusing them of decades-long complicity in upholding corrupt systems. His candid confession ignited debate across the nation as he admitted personal guilt and challenged the public to do the same. Is the middle class really to blame for Sri Lanka’s crisis?
Chathuranga Abeysinghe Sparks Outrage: Says Middle Class Helped Destroy Sri Lanka
Deputy Minister of Economic Reform, Chathuranga Abeysinghe, stirred national controversy this week with a bold statement made during a live appearance on the Siyatha TV channel. In a rare moment of political honesty, he accused Sri Lanka’s middle class of being co-conspirators in the country’s long-running economic and political decline.
“While the middle class is shouting, go in front of the mirror. Go in front of the mirror and look. I also contributed to this mess for 20-30 years,” Abeysinghe declared on air.
His statement comes as Sri Lanka continues to reel from the aftershocks of an economic collapse that has shaken institutions, livelihoods, and public trust. Instead of laying blame solely on past governments or politicians, Abeysinghe turned the spotlight on the very demographic now voicing the loudest frustration the middle class.
According to him, it was this group that tolerated corruption, protected broken systems, and supported flawed economic policies for decades.
“Keep the corrupt. Keep the corrupt system. Keep the wrong economic system. We all contributed,” he said.
“That is the pain that I am taking. That is the pain that I am bearing.”
While his remarks have been praised by some as refreshingly honest, they have also drawn widespread backlash, especially on social media. Critics accuse the Minister of deflecting responsibility and using the middle class as a scapegoat while ignoring the failures of the ruling elite.
However, others argue that his comments open the door for a necessary reckoning about accountability not just from politicians, but from the voting public who repeatedly backed them.
Abeysinghe’s statement touches on a broader question: Has Sri Lanka’s middle class, often seen as passive or politically disengaged, enabled systemic corruption by choosing convenience over conscience?
With political discourse heating up ahead of key national reforms and elections, his remarks may mark the beginning of a larger conversation about collective responsibility and how Sri Lanka can break free from the cycles that led it to the brink.
