Wheel of fortune turns for Sri Lanka's political soothsayers
Gulf Times
Protestors gathered at the entrance of Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa office eat while sitting along a road, in Colombo.
Generations of Sri Lankan leaders have sought guidance from seers and astrologers, and now one has dared tell the ruling Rajapaksa family that their time in office is up.
As politicians find their homes besieged by large and resentful crowds, incensed over months of fuel shortages and lengthy blackouts, spiritual advisers have also found themselves under pressure.
Images of soothsayers standing alongside top administration figures have been shared on social media by activists calling on them to urge President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to stand down. One of the most prominent among them has already broken ranks with the government.
The long-time personal astrologer of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa -- the president's older brother -- this week said the economic crisis signalled the downfall of a clan that has dominated Sri Lanka's affairs for much of the past two decades.
