The recent editorial by Daily FT entitled ‘UNP at 80’ is a surprising indictment on the editorial staff’s memory loss. First and foremost, the UNP wishes to draw attention to the fact that it is because of the economy introduced by the party that Daily FT has content to report on.
For the past 80 years it has been the United National Party which has stood at the forefront of the country’s development. Leading the charge for Independence in 1948, the expansion of free education, the advances in agriculture, the introduction of the open economy in 1977, the fast-tracked Mahaweli projects, introduction of the Free-Trade Zones, and expansion of rural villages are just a few in a long list of success stories by the UNP over its 80 year history.
In 2001 the UNP inherited an economy in recession. Within just one year the negative growth of the country was reversed, returning Sri Lanka to a GDP growth rate of 4%. Along with stabilising the economy, the UNP also spearheaded peace talks with the LTTE, which led to a split amongst their leadership. This paved the way for a successful conclusion of the decades long conflict in 2009.
In 2015 under the Maithripala Sirisena/UNP Government, the country recorded its first primary surplus in 2017, followed by another reported primary surplus in 2018.
In 2022 at the height of the economic crisis, younger faces from both the Opposition and Government ranks demonstrated an unwillingness to step up to the challenge of leading the country’s economy out of the pit it had fallen into. It was at this point that the UNP’s 73 year old leader undertook the task, and with great success. Within two years the country had exited bankruptcy after successfully renegotiating the domestic and international debt. By the end of 2024, after six consecutive quarters of negative growth between 2022-23, the country recorded a GDP growth rate of 5%.
Daily FT, which highlighted these achievements during that period, has now chosen to downplay the significance of these developments.
It was the crisis of 2022 that led not only to the collapse of the economy, but also to the political system. The public chose to reject the established political parties, across all spectrums, instead entrusting the Government to the National People’s Power. This is not a fact that has been lost on the UNP.
Since the elections, the party has undertaken a re-evaluation of it’s structure and policies, recognising the aspirations of the public through the growing mediums of social media. A growing emphasis within the party has been placed on new faces, as was demonstrated at the recent religious observations marking the party’s 80th anniversary. The only two speakers at the event were two new members of the party, demonstrating our commitment to adhering to the demands of the public.
As stated by our leader at the 80th Anniversary, a ‘modern UNP will emerge’ comprising of new faces dedicated to creating a Sri Lanka that is prepared for the 21st Century. This will be unveiled in December.
While we, as a party, re-evaluate our trajectory we will continue to stand for a united Sri Lanka. In the past whenever ethnic and religious blocs have been threatened, the UNP has stood by them in an effort to ensure the unitary status of the country remains unchallenged. Today we are witnessing a new attack on the status of Buddhism in the country, led by a Government that pays little to no respect to the ethnicities and religious groups that make-up our country.
Regardless of the recent editorial attacks on the UNP, which have at times attempted to cast aspersions on the party’s defence of the Buddhist ideology in Sri Lanka, the party remains to it’s core-belief of a united Sri Lanka.