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‘We formed a new political party because the UNP was not listening to us’ – SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake

Published

5 years ago

2021/03/14

By Saman Indrajith

The main opposition SJB, which marks its first anniversary tomorrow (15) expressed optimism of forming the next government within three and half years as the trust people placed on the incumbent government is eroding fast.

In an interview with The Sunday Island, parliamentarian Mayantha Dissanayake, the leader of SJB’s youth wing ‘Samagi Tharuna Balawegaya’, said the primary reason for forming the SJB was because “we felt that as a country we have to unite. There are political forces in the country that came into existence — some came to power by dividing the nation, while others were either very nationalistic or racist”.

He further said: “They wanted to get what could be termed the ‘populist vote’ and come to power. We felt that we have to be a uniting force in the country. We felt that we have to create a political force as Sri Lankans to be Sri Lankans. What is the Sri Lankan dream, what are the aspirations of young Sri Lankans in this country?”.

“We must be able to attract expatriate Sri Lankans to come back to the country. We felt there has to be a political party, a political force that is able to unite us as Sri Lankans without racism”, the MP stressed.

He added: “In those ideals, we felt that we have to have a political party that would do that. We wanted to create a party with the true ideals of the UNP. “We also felt that the UNP had drifted away from its true ideals and original vision. We wanted a political party. We also felt that UNP sitting MPs needed a young and dynamic leadership. We felt that leader is Sajith Premadasa, a true Sri Lankan, who loves the country, loves the nature and who wanted to something for Sri Lanka.

“We thought it was high time as the Grand Old Party was not listening to us in that light. So we felt we must create a new political party. That was the birth of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya”.

Dissanayake said the government has been in power for almost one and half years. The promises given and the aspirations of 6.9 million people who had voted for the government have not been fulfilled. It is really sad and pathetic situation politically where this country is heading. This government has fallen short of expectations. In fact they sold a nationalistic dream. They sold a fable, a myth, that this country was in danger and for national security Gotabaya Rajapaksa should come to power and has to be the President. That was the myth and the dream that was sold.

However, unfortunately the government has not fulfilled any of the pledges given economically. As a country, we are far worse than where he had been one and half years ago. Internationally, we are far worse than we were then. Forests are being cleared on an unprecedented scale. The President has given powers to District Secretaries through a circular on clearing forests. The original circular to preserve the forests was issued by former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, he noted.

Earlier, Mahinda Rajapaksa asked the people to tighten their belts. The cost of living is skyrocketing. The rupee value against the dollar is depreciating on a daily basis. Where is this country heading? In spite of the people’s aspirations, the promises and pledges, the government has failed, the MP said.

“It’s not just one leader or leadership of the party that make all the decisions. We make collective decisions so we are looking at how can build the economy and how we will be addressing the aspirations of people”, he continued.

He said economically, the country is in a bad way. The government is printing money, saying there’s a cash flow problem. Actually it is a much worse than a cash flow problem. We are unable to borrow money from foreign sources that we have been borrowing.

There is no government to government development taking place now. The government is borrowing commercial loans which they cannot repay. So the economic situation is really dire, he warned.

“In terms of international relations, we are alone and highly dependent on China. We promise China many things at the cost of angering our biggest neighbor India. Then we have made many promises to India to balance China. By that we have angered other neighbouring countries. The government cannot really balance. Sri Lanka has been always balanced with regard to regional countries and super powers. I think the decisions are made in an ad hoc manner. In international relations, one cannot ad hoc in foreign policy. There should be a strong foreign policy on how we are going to deal with India, with China and with the Americans, Russians etc”, Dissanayake continued.

“We are also in a bad situation with regard to human rights charges against us in Geneva. The government has not sent anyone to Geneva. What I had heard is that the Sri Lankan delegation was to leave for Geneva but one of the prominent members of the delegation was denied a visa because of his human rights record. Therefore the entire delegation could not go. Therefore there is not anybody from the government in Geneva right now apart from our ambassador there to handle and negotiate. This situation could have been handled in a more professional manner if we had a better foreign policy”, the MP said.

All that Geneva is asking for is to be truthful about allegations on human rights violations. The easiest and the quickest solution for that was the LLRC report completed during the time of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. If we implement the recommendations of the report and take steps in the right direction, this problem would have been solved in a rather efficient and quicker manner. You must give the devil his due, he added.

“The previous government, the yahapalana government handled the international relations far better than this government. I am not saying that they were perfect. But they were far better than what this government is doing. And I think in a future government headed by our party we would with our experiences and our knowledge our contacts and our history we would do a much better job in our international relations than this government”, he noted.

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Prime Minister launches Zahira College, Puttalam Website

Published

5 hours ago

2026/01/18

Priyan

The Prime Minister stated that the objective of the government is to use data and policy to provide what is best for children. Political interests or any other considerations are not important to us; what matters is, only the children.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in an inspection visit to Zahira Muslim College Puttalam on Saturday [17th of January], following the visits to schools affected by the recent cyclone Dithwah.

During her visit, the Prime Minister officially launched the school’s website, which was designed and developed by the students of Puttalam Zahira Muslim College.

Responding to views presented by the Principal regarding obtaining approval to commence the GCE Advanced Level Science stream at the school, the Prime Minister stated that children should be provided with knowledge not only in science, but across all subject areas. She emphasized that all schools within the district should work collaboratively toward this goal, and stressed that building a division in society is not the vision of the government.

The Prime Minister further highlighted the need to do what is best for children, requesting that proposals and decisions required for this purpose be discussed collectively at the school level and communicated to her. She noted that it is not possible to provide a comfortable and effective education for children by operating in isolation as individual schools, and reiterated that priority must always be given to the needs of children.

Addressing at the gathering, the Prime Minister stated:

“We are now experiencing the consequences of incorrect decisions taken in the past. However, we can now look into a positive present. Therefore, going forward, we must refrain from making decisions based on political or personal considerations. Instead we must cultivate the practice of making decisions for the well-being and happiness of all children.

It was also emphasized that, in order to nurture children with diverse talents and abilities, education should not be limited to a single subject stream, but should aim to develop children with an understanding across all fields”.

The occasion was attended by the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna; Members of Parliament Gayan Janaka Kumara, Ajith Gihan, Mohamed Faisal, and Hiruni Wijesinghe; the Mayor of the Puttalam District; the Secretary of Education to the North Western Province; the Director of Education; and teachers.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Premadasa: Grade 6 syllabus fiasco signals deeper issues

Published

14 hours ago

2026/01/18

Thilina Walpola

Harini Sajith

Vicious attacks disguised as criticism of education reforms, says PM

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has said Sri Lanka’s education system has fallen into a “tragic condition,” warning that the crisis extends far beyond the Grade 6 syllabus fiasco.Premadasa made these remarks at the Opposition Leader’s Office during the establishment of the “Common Platform to Protect Free Education.”

Premadasa said that while public attention was on the Grade 6 syllabus issue, the problems facing the education sector were far deeper and affected the entire education system, including schools, universities and tertiary education institutions.

The Opposition Leader noted that the current crisis had not manifested itself overnight due to result of recent decisions; instead, it had developed over time due to reforms being introduced without proper consultation, dialogue or a participatory process involving stakeholders.

The Opposition Leader stressed the urgent need for setting political agendas aside and making a concerted effort to introduce meaningful educaton reforms. He said the rights of more than 4.1 million schoolchildren must be protected.

Premadasa said Sri Lanka must ensure that education was free and of high quality, and warned that failure to do so would have long-term consequences for the country’s future.

Taking part in a televised interview, PM Harini Amarasuriya responded to criticism of the government’s proposed education reforms, especially recent criticism on the rainbow colours on the covers of modules.

This is not constructive in any way. This is vile. This is really vicious. This is the politics the people of this country rejected in three elections in 2024 and 2025,” she said.

She added that the government was open to constructive criticism.

News

Sri Lankan Airlines launches Intl branding initiative for Colombo Nawam Maha Perahera 2026

Published

14 hours ago

2026/01/18

Thilina Walpola

SriLankan Airlines has unveiled a landmark international branding initiative to promote the Colombo Nawam Maha Perahera 2026, one of the country’s most distinguished religious and cultural festivals. The initiative is showcased on an Airbus A320neo, transforming the aircraft into a flying ambassador of Sri Lanka’s living heritage.

Through a specially designed aircraft livery, SriLankan Airlines now carries the prestige, spirituality, and cultural identity of the Nawam Maha Perahera across its international route network. This initiative positions the Perahera not only as a sacred Buddhist procession, but also as a major cultural and tourism attraction, highlighting

Colombo as a destination of heritage, harmony, and tradition.

Organised under the auspices of the Gangaramaya Temple, the Nawam Maha Perahera is internationally recognised for its historical significance, spiritual depth, and ceremonial grandeur. The concept for this international branding initiative was initiated by Venerable Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero, who recognised aviation as a powerful platform for cultural diplomacy and global storytelling.

The successful realisation of this initiative has been made possible through the collective efforts of the Nawam Maha Perahera Committee, devoted devotees and supporters, and the institutional collaboration of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Aviation, together with the full cooperation of SriLankan Airlines. The entire international aircraft branding initiative has been fully funded by the Gangaramaya Temple, together with the Nawam Maha Perahera Committee, reflecting the commitment of the Temple and its devotees to preserving and promoting Sri Lanka’s religious and cultural heritage on a global stage.

SriLankan Airlines extended its support across all levels of the organisation. Special appreciation is extended to the Chairman, Board of Directors, senior management, engineering and technical teams, designers, operational staff, and frontline employees, whose combined expertise and dedication transformed this cultural vision into reality.

Recently, Venerable Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero, along with members of the Nawam Maha Perahera Committee, visited the SriLankan Airlines engineering and operations premises in Katunayake, accompanied by resident young Buddhist monks from the Gangaramaya Temple. During the visit, the delegation observed the progress of the aircraft branding work and offered blessings to the SriLankan Airlines team, expressing appreciation for their professionalism and commitment.

As the Airbus A320neo travels from city to city and culture to culture, it carries with it the story of Gangaramaya Temple, the Nawam Maha Perahera, and Sri Lanka’s enduring cultural values—fostering international awareness and strengthening the country’s image as a destination of faith, heritage, and cultural pride.

This initiative stands as a strong example of how religion, culture, tourism, and national aviation can work together in unity to elevate Sri Lanka’s presence on the global stage in the lead-up to the Colombo Nawam Maha Perahera 2026.