10 February, 2025

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Sajith’s Opposition Leadership At Risk

By Amila Muthukutti

Amila Muthukutti

The fact that having secured the victory at the presidential election, the same political party will win following elections – General election, Provincial Council election and then Local Government election respectively, has been the political tradition in Sri Lanka, as its apex position is the executive presidency. Hence, anyone needs to make a political change, it has to start from the top – The Executive Presidency. Accordingly, 5.7 million voters have already made that change, waiting for the following elections. So, what’s next?

we have sufficient evidence to prove that the executive presidency from one party and Prime Minister from another party results in a severe conflict which opens a can of worms. When we recall conflicts between Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe and thereafter Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe, it is needless to say that Sri Lankan voters are not stupid to elect Sajith Premadasa as Prime Minister and his team as the government. By all accounts, it will never happen. So, then what Sajith Premadasa should do?

Sajith

Who is going to fund an election campaign headed by a person who was defeated at the presidential election two times? Who is going to be courageous enough for organizing meetings at the grassroots level under the circumstance, the president from another party is in power? What kind of media baron is going to support SJB, when it is obvious that they can’t win? So, simply, a majority of voters who voted for Ranil and Sajith at the last presidential election is expected to vote for NPP, merely due to two factors – the first is the president Anura Kumara Dissanayake was capable enough of shattering the misconceptions levelled against him and his party before the election, the second is that the public is well aware of the possible political instability leading to economic instability, unless the president does not get the expected support from the legislature.

Sajith Premadasa should be worried about his opposition leadership at the next parliament, instead of the premiership, as it is at risk. The concept of “block votes for the party” will prove to be a myth in the future. Accordingly, we should not be surprised, if Dilith Jayaweera will be the opposition leader at the next parliament. A significant segment of old politicians who exploited resources of this country over decades for the sake of ethnicity and religion has voluntarily declared their retirement, not because of the fact that they want to retire, but because of the fact that they have already accepted their defeat at the election. In my opinion, if Sajith Premadasa will be unable to become the opposition leader in the next parliament, his political career is highly likely to be over with the possibility of his party’s leadership getting hijacked by someone else.

Latest comments

  • 1
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    I have no grounds to opine that Sajith Premadasa will quit politics. Politics is his career and will be his future.

    • 0
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      The choice may not be his.

  • 4
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    “Accordingly, we should not be surprised, if Dilith Jayaweera will be the opposition leader at the next parliament”
    He’s going to need a helluva lot of snakes in the Kelani river for that to come about.
    Try harder, Mr. Muthukutti.

  • 0
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    If the NPP forms the next govt., they will have too much power & we have seen the results in the past. I still have concerns of the old JVP pulling strings but SP as PM is a frightening thought, which is why I would have voted for RW in the hope that the best of UNP & SJB will get together with RW & a capable person such as Dr Harsha as PM. RW’s laissez faire attitude would work with a dynamic & capable PM & it would be up to the voters to reject the undesirables who would surround RW.

    Whether the NPP with a bunch of all sorts with different objectives & ideology can provide the synergy is doubtful but SJB forming the next govt. with SP as PM would be no better. Either way, SL is still deep in the woods & unlikely to come out in the near future.

    • 0
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      “If the NPP forms the next govt., they will have too much power”
      Cause for concern for ones who never batted an eyelid about the steamroller majorities of JRJ in 1977, MR & GR since 2009.
      Rather unpersuasive crocodile tears for democracy.

  • 0
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    Sajith’s Opposition Leadership At Risk

    Sajith’s statement at the meeting, claiming they now have honest people selected for the upcoming election, subtly admits that previous leaders in their ranks allowed corruption to persist without taking action.

    Today, we stand united with a team that is dedicated to genuine change, one built on transparency, honesty, and the highest standards of governance. In the past, our nation has faced challenges of mismanagement and corruption, but we have learned from these mistakes.

  • 1
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    Ranil W has done a great favour to Sri Lanka by contesting the Presidential Election in September 2024. He was able shatter the Presidential ambition. If not for Sajith P being the son of a former President, he is not otherwise qualified for the highest posts. He did not graduate from LSE but had just attended the lectures. He was not right in accepting the REJECTS from other political parties. SP should be very thankful to the Tamil Speaking Citizens [TSC] in SL for voting for him TWICE in the Presidential Elections. TSC will be waiting EAGERLY how AKD is going to improve their lives.

  • 3
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    Of Course, the parliamentary election is much different to Presidential election and the election is based on proportional basis, SJB has the potential to become the opposition party to NPP. SLPP, SLFP, UNP may loose substantially. Since SJB have the support of Muslims and Up country Tamils and considerable Sri Lankan TamilVotes along with considerable Sinhalese votes. So, Sajith has a potential Opposition leader. Even though Anura had a substantial support from Sinhalese majority in the Presidential election, Parliamentary election is based on the candidates who are diverse and there are different opinions and policies than Anura. So, NPP may get a simple majority in parliament but may not get sufficient seats in parliament to make a new constitution as NPP wish.

    • 0
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      ” Since SJB have the support of Muslims and Up country Tamils and considerable Sri Lankan TamilVotes”
      Where are the voters? In SJB strongholds?
      Get real.
      Of the votes that SP secured in September from the North, East, the Hill Country and predominantly Muslim areas, how much can the SJB harness in November?

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