- Note that the above image is AI generated
A sharp political broadside questions whether Sri Lanka’s highest office is now occupied by ambition without scale, vision without weight, and power without purpose.
The current government is being led by what he calls “small people with big power,” and the public handed that power over in the hope that big results would follow, says Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Prasad Siriwardena.
Speaking during a discussion on an online channel, Siriwardena argued that Sri Lanka’s political history is defined by leaders who matched authority with ambition. He recalled that the Sirima government of 1970 strengthened the national economy, the J.R. government of 1977 opened the economy to the world, the Chandrika government in 1994 expanded access to higher education, and the Mahinda government in 2004 brought an end to the war. Each era, he said, left behind long term outcomes that continued to benefit the people.
In contrast, he claimed that the present administration has yet to deliver any transformative initiative of similar national impact. According to him, meaningful change requires leaders who think big, dream big, and are prepared to carry the weight of history.
Siriwardena was particularly critical of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, describing him as “a small man sitting on the edge of a big chair,” a presidency entrusted by the people with expectations far greater than what has been delivered so far.
He concluded by warning that power without vision risks shrinking the promise voters placed in the current government.
