SJB chair criticises Wickremesinghe’s campaign, highlights dangers of two-thirds majority

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s presidential campaign had been akin to a suicide mission, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Chairman Imthiaz Bakeer Markar said on Thursday (17) while addressing journalists after receiving blessings from the Mahanayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters.

“Ranil wanted to destroy himself and take us down with him,” Markar said.

Discussing the removal of former MP Ajith Mannapperuma as Gampaha District Organiser, Markar said that the decision was made following a review of the presidential election results. However, he noted that the party has no objections to Mannapperuma contesting the Parliamentary Elections on 14 November. Mannapperuma has been replaced by Harshana Rajakaruna.

Markar said that discontent during the nomination process is common across all parties.

Speaking on the SJB’s parliamentary election campaign, he emphasised that their manifesto is grounded in democratic socialist principles. “We broke away from the United National Party (UNP) because it shifted towards extreme right-wing policies, abandoning its traditional values. Our aim is to build a progressive force,” he said.

He urged the public to consult their manifesto, asserting that no other party has a policy statement with the same intellectual rigour.

Markar also reflected on past administrations, such as those of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and President J.R. Jayewardene, which, he claimed, became corrupt and autocratic due to holding a two-thirds supermajority. “Our history, as well as global history, shows that a two-thirds majority paves the way for authoritarianism and corruption,” he said.