‘Sri Lankans Voted in Anger but Will Dissanayake Be a Proxy for Others?’: Sri Lankan Academic

Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, one of Sri Lanka’s foremost political academics and analysts said Sri Lankans “voted in anger” in the just concluded presidential election, choosing Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the new president of the country.

Saravanamuttu also said that given his personal qualities and his beliefs, Dissanayake is perhaps the best person the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) – a party so far best known for the two insurrections it staged in Sri Lanka in ’70s and ’80s – could have put forward for this election. But now the question arises: Will Dissanayake, as president, be a proxy for others within the National People’s Power alliance, which his JVP leads?

This 30-minute interview with Saravanamuttu covers a range of issues, from Dissanayake's background and personality to the key challenges ahead of him– such as the economy, abolishing the executive presidency, the repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, tackling corruption and devolving more power to regional governments. In the process, Dr. Saravanamuttu explains how AKD, as he is popularly known, has moderated both his and his JVP's views.

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