The past remarks of National People’s Power (NPP) politicians, including Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe and MP Nilanthi Kottahachchi, are now resurfacing and becoming a political liability. Statements they previously made on social media and in public forums are now being widely circulated, creating a trap of their own making.
Similarly, Deputy Defence Minister, retired Major General Aruna Jayasekara, is also facing public scrutiny over a statement he made during the last election campaign. In his speech, he confidently declared that those who “do not understand national security” should come to him with a table and a chair, and he would provide them with “tuition” on the subject. However, following a surge in shootings and killings, this statement has come back to haunt him, with critics using it as evidence to question his credibility.
The controversy escalated further when the police announced yesterday that two suspects involved in the Kotahena murder case were shot and killed while allegedly attempting to snatch officers’ firearms during a police operation.
Shortly after the announcement, an old video clip of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake began circulating widely on social media. In the footage, recorded in December 2021, Dissanayake then in opposition, strongly criticized similar justifications used by the police for custodial killings. In his speech, he described such incidents as “staged dramas” carried out according to a pre-written script, and he demanded an end to the culture of extrajudicial killings.
Now, as the head of state, Dissanayake finds himself in a difficult position, with many questioning how he will respond to similar incidents occurring under his leadership. The re-emergence of these statements has intensified political debates, exposing the challenges and contradictions faced by those in power as their past rhetoric collides with present realities.
