But before you start cheering, pause for a moment and ask yourself: who is this leader who has successfully overthrown 75 years of rule by a handful of families that have held the nation in their iron grip since the independence of Sri Lanka?
While heading the NPP coalition, Dissanayake represents the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)People's Liberation Front-that took to vicious violence and conducted two major insurrections. As the most prominent youth leader of the JVP, he was an active participant in terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, including Sri Lankan Tamils.
While recalling this less than savoury past, we have to note that Dissanayake has apologised for past violence and, in consequence, his candidates won all but one district in the Tamil-majority north and east provinces. His two-thirds majority is the result-in his own words-of his country-wide support from "north, east, west and south".
This story is from the January 05, 2025 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the January 05, 2025 edition of THE WEEK India.
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