The United National Party (UNP) has raised concerns over President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s remarks at the 36th Il Maha Viru Samaruma, particularly his statement that “a crown did not fall on our head by drifting down a drain.”
The UNP alleges that this comment was deliberately omitted from the official press release of the speech.
Issuing a statement, the UNP questioned whether the President’s words hinted at a revival of governance forms linked to pre-1972 constitutional arrangements, including the notion of “oath-wearing rulers” abolished under the First Republican Constitution.
The party stressed that President Dissanayake took his oath to uphold the sovereignty of the people, under the framework of Sri Lanka’s Second Republican Constitution, which reaffirmed principles of popular sovereignty through a referendum.
Highlighting the country’s constitutional history, the UNP noted that Sri Lanka first gained independence as a dominion under King George VI, later succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II, before the Constituent Assembly in 1972 proclaimed the Republic and removed monarchical titles.
The UNP accused the President of symbolically questioning these republican foundations and warned that such rhetoric could signal a shift away from multi-party democracy toward a one-party system.
The party urged all democratic forces to unite in defence of Sri Lanka’s existing constitutional order, noting that the President assumed office without securing a majority of the popular vote.
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