President links opposition unity efforts to government stability, stresses public accountability

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has argued that opposition groups are trying to unite because they see no sign of his government falling. Speaking at the 37th Il Maha Viru Commemoration, he also accused some media organisations of aligning themselves with a political camp he described as destructive. These were the president's political assessments.

He presented Sri Lankan politics as an increasingly clear contest between two camps and said some media institutions had also taken sides. In his account, one camp represented an old political establishment associated with corruption and outdated practices, while the other was a new movement seeking to change the country.

Opposition motives described as the president's view

Dissanayake referred to groups that had contested the 2024 presidential election separately but were now moving towards cooperation. He said some had waited for the government to collapse, yet he saw neither evidence of that happening nor an indication of when it might occur.

He claimed those groups had recognised that his movement was firmly established in power and that people involved in fraud and corruption would no longer receive protection. He linked their efforts to unite to that assessment. The explanation was his account of their motives, rather than a statement from the opposition groups themselves.

The president further portrayed his opponents as weakened and frustrated. He warned that frustration could erode their self-restraint and lead to inappropriate actions, but said he was confident his government could overcome the challenges and continue its political programme.

He also drew distinctions between the government and opposition over corruption, governance, national unity and technology. Accusing opponents of relying on rituals, charms and superstition, he said his administration wanted to develop the country through modern technology, science and knowledge. Those characterisations of political opponents remained his claims.

Government must answer for present problems

Alongside the attacks on opponents, Dissanayake said his own administration must remain accountable to the public. It could not keep blaming previous governments for current problems, he said, or use inherited conditions and the failures of earlier administrations as an explanation behind which to hide.

He affirmed that citizens have the right to question, criticise and protest against those in power. He said the government wanted to replace an old relationship based on fear and submission between rulers and the public with one based on accountability. The accompanying Colombo skyline is an illustration, not a photograph of the speech or its audience.