The Frontline Socialist Party leader claims the public mandate for systemic change has been betrayed, alleging that the current administration is merely extending the previous regime’s economic and political program under a new banner.
The current government is continuing Ranil Wickremesinghe’s program without any meaningful changes from where it stood in 2024, according to Kumar Gunaratnam, General Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party. He argues that the promise of political transformation has not materialized, despite a powerful public mandate demanding an end to what he calls 76 years of elite rule.
Gunaratnam points out that citizens mobilized to establish a government that would represent ordinary people, promote social justice, and challenge entrenched power structures. However, he says those expectations have been dashed. Instead of structural reform, he alleges that the present administration has adopted the same economic framework, governance model, and policy direction as its predecessor. He further claims that former rulers are now mocking what he refers to as the Maliman government for continuing the same program without deviation.
Addressing the 4th National Conference of the Frontline Socialist Party, Gunaratnam emphasized that his party is prepared to “go upstream” at a time when, in his view, all major political parties have aligned themselves with the capitalist system. He stressed that the Frontline Socialist Party aims to build a grassroots political alternative capable of leading a people-centered movement focused on economic equity, democratic accountability, and systemic change.
