Meaningful Opposition to Government

Friday, 16 January 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka’s sitting Opposition and ousted Parliamentarians are hell-bent on being a thorn in the side of the Government. Since it took office in September 2024, they have clutched at any piffle to malign the Government. Their mediocre fare has ranged from a Presidential lapse to button his shirt sequentially, a Minister’s English language skills, utterances made during the election campaign to bring back stolen monies from Uganda or other such trivia. One can’t help but ask, are these the stuff that make an Opposition? In fact, the spill-over of this mundane issues to even Parliamentary affairs has prompted the Prime Minister on several occasions to make sterns calls for words of substance from the Opposition. During one of the very first Parliamentary sessions the Prime Minister spelled out very clearly what this Government’s expectations are from the Opposition in the house, even though Parliament now is a far cry from the hooliganism which ruled its hallowed chamber in the past, the occasional call and reminder for decorum from the Opposition benches does come about.

The latest move to set the country back is the palaver by ex-MP Wimal Weerawansa to start a satyagraha to protest against the Government’s education reforms. Weerawansa swore to continue the satyagraha until the Prime Minister quits office but called it off when his attempt started to look futile in the face of the Government’s resolve to push the reforms through sooner or later. Weerawansa’s latest attempt resonates with several previous escapades, including one when he was in custody, where he launched himself on a fast unto death only to bail himself out.

It is not as if Weerawansa is whiter than white. Among the skeletons in Weerawansa’s cupboard are allegations of sexual harassment, financial irregularities during his tenure as a Member of Parliament, and investigations into the misuse of State vehicles in which his brother is also implicated. Weerawansa is currently under investigation for the alleged acquisition of assets of over Rs. 75 million.

It is against this backdrop that legitimising the likes of Weerawansa and his actions as well as those of the bedraggled group of ex-Parliamentarians who want to return themselves to power by giving them space in the media and other public platforms must be questioned. Weerawansa like every other citizen in this country has the right to be involved in how he is governed. But extending this prerogative to challenging the existence of a democratically elected Government must be where the line is drawn.

In the case of the Opposition, a mature Opposition will complement the work of Government and governance. It will question and scrutinise governance and hold the Government accountable. It will work with the Government to move the country forward. It will not wait for every inopportune moment to pull the rug from under the Government to destabilise it. To do so is a slap in the face of the citizenry who reposed their confidence in this Government.