Sri Lanka's newly elected president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, declared there is no longer a need for an Opposition in Parliament, as he addressed supporters last week.
Speaking at the first rally for the 2024 Gampaha District parliamentary election in Katunayake, he urged voters to ‘eradicate political opposition’ and elect a government capable of handling both ‘internal and external challenges’ effectively.
"On November 14th, it's going to be the biggest clean-up project," Dissanayake proclaimed to an applauding crowd. "After winning the elections and dissolving Parliament, we have given the people the right to clean up this parliament. According to our rough estimates, over 60 parliamentarians have voluntarily stepped back from politics, particularly in areas like Hambantota."
He further stressed the importance of strengthening his National People’s Power (NPP) coalition.
Dissanayake expressed confidence in winning a significant majority of the 19 seats in the district and urged voters to reject corrupt politicians and new candidates from rival parties. He emphasized that strong parliamentary representation in the 225-member Parliament is essential for effective governance, which he claimed had been lacking in the past.
Parliament, according to Dissanayake, has become one of the most distrusted institutions in the country, often accused of failing to act in the people’s best interests. He pointed to instances where Parliament had shielded controversial figures like Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, reinforcing his argument for change.
Addressing criticisms about the NPP’s capacity to govern, Dissanayake dismissed the doubts and reassured the public that the party would prove its critics wrong. He promised a streamlined administration, with only 25 ministers and an equal number of deputies, contrasting this with previous bloated governments. He also criticized former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had questioned the NPP's economic competence before the presidential election, while commending his three-member Cabinet for stabilizing the economy and regaining international trust.
Dissanayake expressed optimism that many voters who had previously supported rival parties or abstained from voting in the Presidential Election would now back the NPP. He highlighted the party's strong performance in the Gampaha district, where it had outperformed candidate Sajith Premadasa by over 460,000 votes in the presidential race.
