Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament today (23) that he would not dissolve the house until stability returns to the country.
He also vowed not to allow another Aragalaya to change the country’s government and said he would deploy the military and use emergency powers if necessary.
The President accused the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) and its leader Kumar Gunaratnam of being responsible for the attempt to capture parliament on the 13th of July 2022. “After doing so, they would have gone on to capture the Supreme Court,” he said while blaming the FSP for orchestrating the chaos.
President Wickremesinghe added that any attempts to create another Aragalaya (struggle) without permits for protests will be prevented, and the police have been instructed to take action to prevent such protests.
The President declared that the public no longer supports the Aragalaya and public protests, and went on to note that the Aragalaya is being hyped by the media. He added that he will appoint a commission to investigate the alleged media involvement in the Aragalaya and what led to chaos in the country.
Commenting on the 21st Amendment to the Constitution and on calls for Basil Rajapaksa, a dual citizen, to be barred from parliament, the President questioned how the Frontline Socialist Party could be against dual citizenship when its own leader is himself a dual citizen in Sri Lanka and Australia.
