Sri Lanka, June 29 -- The demand for accountability has become one of the defining features of post-crisis Sri Lanka. In the aftermath of the 2022 economic collapse, there is a strong and understandable belief that corruption, political patronage, and mismanagement were the primary drivers of national failure.

Citizens who endured shortages, inflation, currency depreciation, and a collapse in living standards are right to demand answers-and, in many cases, punishment.

Politicians have therefore become the central focus of public anger. Not without reason. Successive governments contributed to the conditions that led to the crisis. Corruption existed. Patronage existed. Policy mistakes were made. Public resources were often misused. T...