As of yet, no date has been announced for the next presidential election. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has named their candidate. Last Sunday, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) too has said who they are putting forward. Meanwhile, as the democratic progressive movement of our country has yet to announce their candidate, the SLPP is seeking to dominate the public messaging about the election and to benefit politically. But the democratic forces that represent the vast majority of Sri Lankans of all ethnicities and religions, who together prevailed in 2015, have yet to put forward a leader to take us into 2020.
With public security being a matter front and centre on today’s political stage after the Easter terrorist attacks, a sizable number of people believe that the country must be led by a leader who puts “security first.” Some go so far as to say that this leaves the Podujana Peramuna candidate as the only viable option. With the new security challenges facing the country, a leader must be focused on more than just putting up barricades and manning checkpoints. To prevail and prosper, Sri Lanka will need to grasp the complexities of global terrorism, adopt a strategic and inclusive foreign policy and avoid isolating ourselves on the world stage, under the guidance of a credible and trustworthy leader who can guide us through the economic challenges of tomorrow.
Or else, our country risks once again being isolated and left to fend for itself for decades to come.
In selecting the right presidential candidate, and the right president, there are a number of qualities that we must consider. We need a leader who is serious about safeguarding Sri Lanka’s role as custodians of the Dhamma and our national Buddhist identity, which includes the teachings of respecting and ensuring equality for all peoples of all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities in our public square. The number one priority of our presidential candidate must be the abolition of the executive presidency as we promised to do in 2015. We have come far in the last five years, but more work remains to be done.
In tandem with abolishing the presidency by our candidate, leaders of the next generation must be recognized to step up and take charge, unite, build and heal our nation, elevate Sri Lanka on the world stage and set the course for our future.
Most civil society organisations, progressive political parties and Sri Lankans of all stripes are waiting for someone to give leadership to this vision and will unite behind whoever can take our country forward in this direction. Together, if we put forward a candidate who can take this message to the people, that candidate will be the next President of Sri Lanka.
Whatever the alliance decides, no candidate or party can expect an easy path to victory in this election. For the United National Party (UNP), this will be our last chance to elect a president from our party, and it is essential that across the party personal interests, vendettas and ambitions are set aside in the best interests of the majority of the party.
Unless Ranil Wickremasinghe, Karu Jayasuriya and Sajith Premadasa come together to forge the party into a united front to face the threat before us, we will have only ourselves to blame if we are overwhelmed and wiped out by the extremist, militant and racist elements of our land.
For us to allow that to happen would be a grave injustice and betrayal to all of those who have supported and had faith in the democratic progressive movement for the last five years just as we began to realise their vision.
In the past, the UNP had its share of strong leaders. President Premadasa, my father Gamini Dissanayake and Lalith Athulathmudali strengthened the party and developed the country. Unfortunately, their failure to overcome their differences in 1990 led to a tragic and serious division within the UNP that we are still paying the price for today. Had these three leaders found a way to combine their strengths and overcome their individual weaknesses in the interests of their party and country, I believe Sri Lanka would be at least on par with Singapore today.
The leaders of our party must ensure that this does not happen again. If personal disagreements and ambitions are put before the national interest, the UNP may risk being splintered once again, and we may be relegated to opposition for decades to come. There are many lessons of this kind that the history of our party teaches us.
We must learn from these experiences and take responsibility for preserving the united character of our party, building consensus and uniting behind us as many like-minded parties, organisations and voters as possible. This is the traditional strength of the United National Party. If we stay together and bring others together behind us, our path to victory is certain.