If not for former Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawala and Ranil Wickremesinghe’s father, Esmond Wickremesinghe, Anura Kumara would not have had the opportunity to address the United Nations General Assembly.
It was Sir John who launched the diplomatic mission to get Sri Lanka admitted to the United Nations (UN). The first application for UN membership was submitted by first Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake, three months after gaining independence for Sri Lanka. However, the Soviet Union used its veto power to reject the application at the UN Security Council.
The Soviet argument was that Sri Lanka could not be considered a free and independent state because British military bases still existed in Trincomalee. From 1948 to 1955, this argument delayed Sri Lanka’s UN membership.
When Sir John became Prime Minister, he was determined to secure UN membership for Sri Lanka. He chose Esmond Wickremesinghe—Ranil Wickremesinghe’s father and a close advisor to both him and the UNP—as a special envoy for this diplomatic mission.
Esmond went to New York and launched the campaign. He studied how the U.S. and Soviet Union were rejecting UN membership applications from countries aligned with each other, turning it into a rivalry. Esmond met with countries rejected by both sides and formed a coalition. He was assisted by R.S.S. Gunawardena, Sri Lanka’s first permanent representative to the UN. Together, they pressured both the U.S. and the Soviet Union to grant membership to all these countries, including Sri Lanka.
As a result, Sri Lanka gained UN membership six years after applying. It was a major victory for Sir John. Membership was granted in December 1955, after the UN General Assembly had concluded. Sir John eagerly awaited the chance to address the next UN General Assembly, but he was defeated in the 1956 general election. The first Sri Lankan head of state to address the UN General Assembly was S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike—Sir John’s political rival—who made full use of the historic opportunity.
Bandaranaike was preparing to address the UN General Assembly in 1959 when he was assassinated. His assassination occurred after the final cabinet meeting held before his planned UN visit.
Since 1956, Sri Lankan leaders have considered addressing the UN General Assembly a great honour. Even if they skipped other international summits, they never missed the UN. In 2003, there was a dispute between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over who should attend. Chandrika argued that she should go as head of state, while Ranil claimed his right as head of government. Ranil attended in 2003, and Chandrika went in 2004.
However, Sri Lanka’s first executive president, J.R. Jayewardene, never addressed the UN General Assembly during his 10-year rule. He once visited the White House on an official invitation from President Reagan and received a warm welcome. During that 1983 visit, he stayed at the famous Astoria Hotel in New York but didn’t even visit the UN Secretary-General’s office. No one asked why he avoided the UN, and he never explained. Perhaps he saw it as a waste of government funds for something with no real benefit.
President Premadasa followed J.R.’s tradition. During J.R.’s tenure, Premadasa once addressed the UN General Assembly as Prime Minister. But he didn’t just speak and return—he proposed during his speech, asking the UN to declare 1987 the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless. He aimed to draw global attention to the plight of the homeless and initiate housing programs. The UN accepted his proposal and launched global housing initiatives in 1987. It was the first time a Sri Lankan leader made a proposal that the UN adopted. Premadasa didn’t just speak and leave—he made history.
Yet, after becoming President, Premadasa never attended the UN. He too likely saw it as a fruitless expense for the government.
Sri Lanka received significant foreign investment and aid during the administrations of J.R. and Premadasa. J.R. developed free trade zones and tourist hotels. Premadasa brought garment quotas from foreign countries and launched a garment industry revolution. Despite predictions that the World Bank wouldn’t fund his Janasaviya program, he secured their support.
Neither J.R. nor Premadasa achieved these foreign investments and aid by travelling abroad and wasting government funds. Instead, skilled diplomats and officials were sent to those countries and coordinated from Sri Lanka.
Foreign leaders visiting the UN and meeting Sri Lankan leaders is not a big deal. These meetings have never brought tangible benefits to Sri Lanka. Since 1956, countless Sri Lankan leaders have attended the UN General Assembly and met foreign leaders, but none of those meetings yielded any real gains for the country. In contrast, J.R. and Premadasa, who didn’t attend the UN, managed to bring substantial international benefits to Sri Lanka.
Attending the UN General Assembly gives leaders the chance to take photos, speaking at the podium and stand in line with the U.S. President. These photos are good for the leader’s personal album—but they don’t help the country.
The JVP-led government which came promising system change, did not change the UN visit tradition that has persisted for 76 years. Like all previous leaders, the JVP’s head of state went to the UN Tower, gave a speech, took photos with other leaders, and returned to Sri Lanka.
