“I became an enemy only after I became a candidate. Earlier, they sent me messages asking me to accept the Prime Ministership,”
stated Ranasinghe Premadasa during the last parliamentary emergency law debate before the 1988 presidential election. At that time, Premadasa, who was Prime Minister, opposed both the Indo-Lanka Agreement and the suppression of the JVP. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party made significant efforts to isolate him from the government. Additionally, JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera, in his address to the nation, invited anti-Indo-Lanka forces within the government, including Premadasa, to leave and join the anti-agreement patriotic front.
The left parties, SLFP and JVP, branded the UNP as a capitalist party. However, they were aware that Premadasa, despite being perceived as a “small man,” was the savior of the UNP. When Premadasa opposed the Indo-Lanka Agreement, they attempted to remove him from the government, knowing he provided a populist image to the UNP. Former Sri Lankan Freedom Party MP Lakshman Jayakodi once remarked that Premadasa did not belong in the UNP.
Even after becoming president, Premadasa proposed forming an all-party government, offering JVP National List MP positions and suggesting a national government with opposition leader Mrs. Bandaranaike as Prime Minister. His approach reflected his distinct perspective, different from the ‘European dress’ culture of society. However, both of these efforts were disrupted by the then Minister of State for Defense, Ranjan Wijeratne, and senior members of the UNP.
Ranasinghe Premadasa and his son Sajith are known for their skill in engaging with the SLFP and leftist factions with an open mind. This is evident from the willingness of SLFP leftists such as Dullas, Dilan, Chandimal, and Shan Vijayalall to join forces with Sajith.
Dallas became famous in Sri Lanka by the picture of him packing a suitcase before the 2001 general election and leaving politics after being disappointed with the then president Chandrika. Dullas stood up for the JVP at a time when even the JVP leaders were in hiding. When Premadasa’s government was spreading terror against the JVP, at a time when it was impossible to find a man to speak for the JVP, Dullas fearlessly made a newspaper for the JVP. After the island, which was a national newspaper, he appeared for the JVP in the JVP newspaper, which he joined with other journalists. He was disappointed with Chandrika’s politics in 2001 and joined Mahinda again because of Mahinda’s leftist politics.
The agreement to nominate Dullas as the presidential candidate in 2022 on Sajith’s proposal during the parliamentary election to elect an interim president and the subsequent support for Sajith’s campaign marks the start of a unifying journey that bridges the gap between the left and the right.
Like his father Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sajith Premadasa supports an open economic policy while championing welfareism. This is illustrated by Premadasa’s initiatives like Gamudava and Janasaviya, and Sajith’s programs such as Sakvala and Husma. Although Dullas is a leftist, his views on the economy and national issues are notably liberal.
Therefore, the union of Sajith and Dullas represents a revolutionary milestone in politics. Dullas is notably untainted by corruption, having even declined the duty-free vehicle permit typically granted to MPs. Finding such incorruptible figures is rare. Similarly, Professor G.L. Peiris, despite serving as a minister for nearly 30 years, has maintained a reputation free from corruption and is recognized as a world-renowned intellectual. Dilan, too, is a respected and uncorrupted parliamentarian from a leftist background.
Nalaka Godaheva is a popular figure who got more than 3 lakh votes in the 2020 general election. Chandima Weerakkodi was a young popular leader who had a future in Sri Lanka. He is a popular star in Sri Lanka. Dayasiri Jayasekara is a popular figure in Sri Lanka who should have been the leader of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party. Chandima has already joined with Sajith. Dayasiri is in dialog with Sajith. Shan Vijayalal, who was a star of a village from Galle, joined Sajith early. The MPs who joined Sajith from Podujana Peramuna and Sri Lanka Freedom Party are popular MPs with no corruption charges. JR Jayawardena’s grandson Pradeep Jayawardena joined Sajith recently. Pradeep was with Gamini Dissanayake during Ranil’s fight against Gamini in 1994. Because of this, after Ranil became the party leader, Pradeep was not included in the four boundaries of UNP. Sajith opened the door of SJB to Pradeep, Gamini Dissanayake’s second son Mayantha is also with Sajith. In 1994, the Premadasa family came forward to support Gamini’s presidential campaign leaving aside impeachment memories. Sajith Meda Gamini’s son his a National List MP and D.S. Senanayake’s grandson Vasantha Senanayake also joined Sajith.
Mahesh Senanayake, Daya Ratnayake, Daya Sandagiri, who were former arm force commanders who dedicated their lives for the country without being media heroes during the war, are joined by Major General Satyapriya Liyanage, Major General Boniface Perera . They join Sajith because Sajith supported the war. While Ranil insulted the war, Sajith stood up for the war and the war heroes who led the war. These military leaders know it very well. They did not do politics in the army. After retiring from the army, they have decided who the leader the country needs.
Also, Sri Lank Muslim congress leader Rauf Hakeem, Mano Ganesan, Digambaram, and Rishad Badurdinda are the stalwarts of Sajith’s Samagi People’s Alliance.
Such an alliance is unprecedented in Sri Lankan history. This coalition, uniting the left and right as well as the north and south, represents the largest political alliance ever formed in the country. Unlike the small group of SLFP MPs who supported Maithripala in the 2015 presidential election to defeat the incumbent, this alliance features a substantial number of MPs from various factions coming together to back the opposition candidate. Under Sajith’s leadership, this alliance is dubbed the “revolutionary alliance” due to its historic and transformative nature in Sri Lanka’s political landscape.
The UNP is no longer a dominant force, and the SLFP has also waned. However, Podujana Peramuna is experiencing a resurgence. This new alliance, composed of former UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa, former Podujana Peramuna president G.L. Peiris, and former SLFP secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara, is considered the strongest and most capable team for governance since the historic 1947 team of DS. Mahabharata in India, and Mahwansa in Sri Lanka, dubbed the grand alliance for the 2024 presidential election; it represent a significant and strategic political realignment for Sri Lanka.
