Government Betraying the People’s Mandate: Opposition Leader Sajith

04-Jan-2026

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Instead of creating a prosperous country and a dignified life, the government is leading the nation toward hardship and poverty, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said, accusing the government of betraying the people’s mandate by attempting to urgently increase electricity tariffs.

He made these remarks in a special video statement released on Jan 2.

Premadasa said the current government came to power promising prosperity and a better quality of life, but has instead moved to increase electricity tariffs by 11.57 percent after previously promising reductions of 33 percent during election campaigns.

He stated that voters supported the government primarily due to promises to reduce electricity bills, adding that the President had acknowledged this publicly. He accused the government of violating the fundamental and human rights of electricity consumers.

He further criticized the government for implementing International Monetary Fund conditions in their original form despite campaign promises to renegotiate them in a people-friendly manner.

Highlighting the impact of Cyclone Thidha, which affected hundreds of thousands of people, he said the government’s move to raise tariffs under such circumstances is unacceptable. He called on the government to honor its election promises and reduce electricity tariffs instead.