SJB needs better strategy for future electoral success

A recent poll that gauged public confidence, satisfaction and trust in President Anura Kumara Dissanayake found that public satisfaction with the President remains high at around 75.5%. In comparison, public satisfaction with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa remains low at around 29.4%.

The poll was conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) titled the “Confidence in Democratic Governance Index” opinion survey by its research unit, Social Indicator, between 23 May and 18 June 2026, with 1,240 people representing all districts and communities of the country.

This and other such polls have consistently indicated low public opinion of the SJB leader, Sajith Premadasa, and hence there needs to be some introspection within the main opposition party.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was long berated for clinging to the leadership of the United National Party (UNP) despite successive election defeats. This is one reason Premadasa and many in the UNP broke away and formed the SJB in 2020.

Since then, the SJB has faced several election defeats, and dissatisfaction within the SJB ranks from time to time has led to talk of it being a good time to name a successor to Sajith Premadasa.

None of Sri Lanka’s political parties has internal democracy. They are dominated by cliques that show unwavering faith in the leadership and don’t question when they go off the tracks. This has been the downfall of most established political parties, which have fragmented over the years and become just shells of what they once were.

The SJB was a makeshift political alliance formed to face elections, and so far it hasn’t done well. The failure of the SJB to win the last Colombo Municipal Council polls was a good enough reason to question the leadership, which failed to work out a proper strategy to win a council that the party could have easily won, but the leadership bungled by going with the views of its loyalists and picking the wrong candidates.

So far, Premadasa has been largely reactive in the manner in which he has taken on issues. Any Government in power will put a wrong foot forward more than once, and this ruling party is doing the same and any responsible Opposition must be vigilant and bring up these issues. But Government mess-ups cannot become the mainstay of an Opposition party. Be it the substandard coal imports, paddy farmer issues or even the prisons case, the public attention on them is short and vanishes as quickly as quicksand till the next issue comes along.

But as the main Opposition party and Sajith Premadasa, who wants another shot at the presidency in 2029, will need to have a better strategy to win against the incumbent. He can’t wait to win by default because of the failings of the Government.

The SLPP may not be the best example, but the formation of the Party and its successive electoral successes are a case of how good strategy worked to swing voters in its favour. The SJB does not need to be a copycat of the SLPP or engage in that kind of divisive politics, but proper research on voter sentiments and grassroots planning that worked for the SLPP can work for any political party if done the right way.

The SJB leader’s father, one-time president Ranasinghe Premadasa, was a clever strategist who built many successful programs such as Gam Udawa and the Million Houses program.

These are good ideas on which the SJB can build. Housing, health, and agriculture are crucial areas which often get neglected by governments and areas on which the main opposition party can build on. Otherwise, the polls, however insignificant they seem, may translate into reality when the next election comes along.