News

A new generation reflects on JR’s legacy

Published

11 hours ago

2026/09/20

Avishka Mario Senewiratne delivering the JR Jayewardene Memorial Oration last Thursday

Avishka Mario Senewiratne, 28, the editor-in-chef of the Ceylon Journal he founded, Thursday delivered the JR Jayewardene Memorial Oration of the occasion of JRJ’s 120th birth anniversary and 30th death anniversary, the youngest orator ever to have delivered such an address.

Born two years after JRJ’s death, Senewiratne declared he had never seen or heard JR and was assessing the life and times of the country’s first executive president who made far reaching changes in the future trajectory of the nation’s economic and historic destiny.

“I never knew President J. R. Jayewardene. I have never heard him speak from a public platform, never watched him campaign, never voted for him or against him, and never experienced at first hand the great political change of 1977, the excitement and uncertainty of the new economic order or the terrible violence of July 1983. President Jayewardene died in 1996, two years before I was born, and so I come before you without any personal memory of the man himself,” he said.

“My generation inherited President Jayewardene’s legacy in the most direct sense. We inherited the Executive Presidency, the open economy, the Thirteenth Amendment, and many of the institutions, arguments and political habits formed during his years in power. Much of the Sri Lanka we inhabit was either created or fundamentally reshaped by him. Yet few young people know the scale of his achievements, or even the nature of the changes he introduced. Public discussion has often judged him selectively rather than fairly. It is therefore fitting, perhaps slightly ironic, that today’s oration is delivered by someone from that very generation.

“That is the central argument I want to make today. President J. R. Jayewardene changed Sri Lanka. Whether he changed it for better or for worse depends very much on whom one asks and which part of his record one chooses to examine. Some remember him as the man who opened up the economy, accelerated the Mahaweli programme, encouraged foreign investment and brought Sri Lanka into a new economic age. Others remember the Executive Presidency, the referendum of 1982, July 1983, the growth of ethnic conflict and a country entering one of the most difficult periods in its modern history. Both memories belong to the same period, and both are associated with the same man.

“There is a tendency to begin the story of JR in 1977, but if we do that we begin far too late. When he became Prime Minister in that year he was already 71 years of age and had spent several decades in public life: as lawyer, State Councillor, parliamentarian, Minister of Finance, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of State, and Leader of the Opposition. One of his greatest political qualities was patience. For much of his career he did not possess great power. He waited, organized, read, watched his opponents and his own party, learned from defeat and survived. By 1977 he had spent a lifetime preparing himself for power and, once he obtained it, knew what he wanted to do with it.”

After a detailed analysis of JR’s life and times in a nearly hour-long, Senewiratne concluded:

“Then, in 1989, he left office. This deserves more attention than it usually receives. He did not attempt to return as President, form another party or stage a dramatic comeback. For a man who had spent so much of his life seeking power, he proved remarkably capable of relinquishing it. He lived another seven years and died on 1 November 1996.”

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Flood warning issued to the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha, Doluwa, Udunuwara, Yatinuwara, Gangawata Korale, Harispattuwa, and Pathadumbara

Published

29 mins ago

2026/09/20

Priyan

Due to heavy rainfall received in the upper catchment areas of the Mahaweli River over the past few hours, there is a risk of minor flooding in the low-lying areas surrounding the Mahaweli River within the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha, Doluwa, Udunuwara, Yatinuwara, Gangawata Korale, Harispattuwa, and Pathadumbara.Residents living in the above mentioned areas and motorists using roads passing through these areas are urged to exercise extreme caution and remain highly vigilant regarding the prevailing situation.

Furthermore, residents living in close proximity to the Mahaweli River in these areas are advised to remain highly alert to the situation and take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from any potential flooding.The relevant disaster management authorities are requested to take all necessary measures in response to this situation.

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Landslide Red Alerts issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya

Published

37 mins ago

2026/09/20

Priyan

The National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide Red Alerts to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya effective from 14:00 hrs on 20.09.2026 To 14:00 hrs on 21.09.2026

Accordingly,
LEVEL III [RED] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district, Dehiowita, Aranayake, Deraniyagala, Mawanella and Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district and Kothmale West, Kotmale East, Ambagamuwa and Norwood in the Nuwara Eliya district

LEVEL II [AMBER] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Padukka in the Colombo district, Nagoda, Thawalama and Neluwa in the Galle district, Bulathsinhala, Palindanuwara, Walallawita and Agalawatta in the Kalutara district, Ganga Ihala Korale in the Kandy district, Bulathkohupitiya and Kegalle in the Kegalle district, Akuressa and Pitabeddara in the Matara district, Thalawakele in the Nuwara Eliya district and Pelmadulla, Ratnapura, Ayagama, Kuruwita and Ratnapura in the Ratnapura district.

LEVEL I [YELLOW] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka in the Colombo district, Niyagama and Baddegama in the Galle district, Mirigama in the Gampaha district, Ingiriya in the Kalutara district, Udapalatha and Yatinuwara in the Kandy district, Galigamuwa, Warakapola and Ruwanwella in the Kegalle district, Kotapola, Pasgoda and Athuraliya in the Matara district, and Eheliyagoda, Kalawana and Elapatha in the Ratnapura district.

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Development projects can deliver results to the people more quickly when the political authority and the public service work together towards a common goal – PM

Published

3 hours ago

2026/09/20

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that development projects can deliver results to the people more quickly when the political authority and the public service work together towards a common, people-oriented objective.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in a discussion held on Friday [September 18] at the Western Province Council Auditorium to review the progress of the development project to rehabilitate Rathmalana Kandawala Road and the drainage system on either side of the road, within the Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia Municipal Council limits in the Colombo District.

The project, which commenced on September 10, 2026, is scheduled to be completed before June 30, 2027. Implemented by the Provincial Road Development Authority (PRDA), the project includes the construction of a bridge at a cost of Rs. 64 million, the rehabilitation of the drainage system at a cost of Rs. 930 million, and the rehabilitation of the road at a cost of Rs. 115 million.

The Prime Minister also paid special attention to the progress of the responsibilities assigned to the Western Province Council, the Irrigation Department and the Ratmalana Divisional Secretariat in accordance with decisions taken at the previous committee meeting. Attention was also given to the current status of the plans being carried out by the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLRDC), as well as the construction and maintenance activities being undertaken by the Provincial Road Development Authority (PRDA).

Commending the expedite and commendable progress of the project, the Prime Minister particularly appreciated the commitment demonstrated by officials of the relevant government institutions to work in close coordination with one another and in collaboration with the political authority.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of taking measures well in advance to control flooding and minimise its impact on Colombo and several other districts in view of the rainy weather that may affect the Western Province during the latter part of this year.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Colombo District Coordinating Committee and Member of Parliament Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi, Chairperson of the Ratmalana Divisional Coordinating Committee and Member of Parliament Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Chairman of the Roads Sub-Committee of the Colombo District Coordinating Committee Dewananda Suraweera, Mayor of the Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia Municipal Council Parakum Shantha, Chief Secretary of the Western Province K.G. Pradeep Pushpakumara, along with a number of government officials.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]