SLPP looks to youth led transformation of country says Namal Rajapaksa

At the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) May Day rally in Nugegoda today, the party’s national organiser  Namal Rajapaksa outlined the SLPP’s vision for the country’s future.

He hailed his father, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure as a time when “the lives of the working class were honored with pride,” and emphasised the importance of the strength of labor as a foundational value of the SLPP. “We believe in the strength of labor of this country,” he said.

He also expressed confidence in Sri Lanka’s youth to lead a transformation. “I believe that this young generation has the capability to transform Sri Lanka back to being Asia’s wonder,” he said, proposing a self-sustaining economic model focused on local production and leveraging the country’s strategic location.

He criticized the current government, accusing it of abandoning the working people after using their struggles to rise to power. “This government is one that has constantly lied, and have climbed on the shoulders of the working people... Today, they have completely forgotten them” he said.

“The Hon. President has a place to put up a stage and scold Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa because Mr. Mahinda ended the war,” he said. “Not only did he end the war, he created roads to go there,”he said while dismissing allegations including the infamous "white van culture" and others.

“We didn’t respond to certain allegations because we had work to do.”

The SLPP, he assured supporters, is committed to evolving into a party that reflects modern values. “We will transform the SLPP into a force that respects all cultures,” he said, adding, “We will fall in line to create a government that is inclusive to the modern generation.”

Ending on an optimistic note ahead of the upcoming election on the 6th, he praised the rally’s turnout and momentum: “With the strong leadership you demonstrated in organising a successful May Day rally, our victory in the upcoming election is assured. The SLPP will not only form the next government but also birth the next president.”

Pix by Indika Handuwala