Colombo: Sri Lanka’s new finance minister Ali Sabry on Tuesday, April 5 resigned, a day after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed him after sacking his brother Basil Rajapaksa amidst the island nation’s worst economic crisis.In a letter to the President, Sabri said that he took up the job as part of a temporary measure.“However, after much reflection and deliberation and taking into consideration the current situation, I am now of the view for Your Excellency to make suitable interim arrangement to navigate the unprecedented crisis fresh and proactive, and unconventional steps needs to be taken including the appointment of a new finance minister,” Sabry said in the letter.He was among the four new ministers appointed by President Rajapaksa on Monday, April 4.Separately, former CBSL (Central Bank of Sri Lanka) official P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said on Monday that he had accepted an offer from Rajapaksa to become the central bank’s next governor. “The president called me and made the offer, and I have accepted,” Weerasinghe told Reuters.Weerasinghe replaced Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who had resigned on Monday, resisting calls for an IMF bailout.Also read: Knee-Deep in Debt, Food Shortages, Depleting Foreign Reserves: How Did Sri Lanka Get Here?The worst economic crisisThe debt-laden country, run by Rajapaksa and members of his family since 2019, is struggling to pay for imports of fuel and other goods due to a scarcity of foreign exchange, leading to hours-long power cuts and a shortage of essentials.Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who gathered outside Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s private residence in Tangalle, in southern Sri Lanka. Mahinda, the president’s elder brother, was away at the time in Colombo, the country’s commercial capital, where peaceful protests continued into the night.“Protesters broke through two barricades that had been placed near the residence and police had to use tear gas to move the protesters away,” police spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa said.Crowds also gathered outside the homes of six lawmakers and the party office of a former state minister spread across the country, he said.“Police continue to provide security to the houses of parliamentarians,” Thalduwa said.After many protesters demanded the total ouster of the Rajapaksas, the president’s media office said in a statement that four new ministers had been appointed “to ensure parliament and other tasks can be conducted in a lawful manner until a full Cabinet can be sworn in.”Also read: Some Food Containers Sent From India to Sri Lanka Stuck as Shippers Insist on Dollar Payments‘This government is over’The developments come after the president declared a state of emergency on April 1, following street protests in the island nation of 22 million.The power regulator said daily power cuts would be reduced to 6-1/2 hours for the rest of the week from about seven now, after the Energy Ministry pledged to release 26,000 tonnes of diesel and furnace oil to multiple power plants.Charmara Nakandala, a protester, dismissed the Cabinet changes as meaningless.“This cabinet change is to try and fool the people,” Nakandala, a marketing executive, said at a protest in Colombo. “This government is over. Rajapaksas no longer can save this by playing musical chairs.”Sri Lanka, off India‘s southern tip, is also grappling with soaring inflation after the government steeply devalued its currency last month ahead of the IMF talks.Sri Lanka’s expenditure has exceeded its income under successive governments while its production of tradable goods and services has been inadequate. The twin deficits were badly exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic that crippled tourism, its economic mainstay.(With inputs from agencies)This story, which was published on April 5, 2022 at 11:58 am, is being republished on the same date at 1:35 pm with an update on the new finance minister resigning a day after his appointment.