We will not bow to repressive measures: Ranil

21-Sep-2025

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The government is trying to destroy multi-party democracy and cripple the opposition. We must all unite and raise our voices against this. The unity that arose during my arrest must not end with this platform. It must move forward toward future politics, said former President and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Speaking at the UNP’s 79th convention in Colombo on September 20, he said:

All opposition parties must unite to safeguard democracy. I had undertaken an official trip to Cuba and New York, where I met leaders of the IMF, World Bank, and UN to discuss debt issues facing developing nations. It was a vital official visit. Because of travel changes, I stayed a night in London, where I also accepted an invitation to attend a university event. All of this was official.

Yet, based on this, they tried to arrest me. I later learned the complaint was filed by the President’s secretary. When I was arrested, not only my friends but even my political opponents stood with me to defend democracy. This convention was mainly organized to thank them.

Former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, Chandrika Bandaranaike, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, along with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and many other leaders, united against my arrest. Today, we are all together.

We must resist the constitutional repression carried out by the present government. It is trying to establish dictatorship and crush multi-party democracy. If Anura Kumara Dissanayake still has a country to rule today, it is because of the development done by rulers over the past 77 years.

We are not against action on corruption, but the government’s actions are aimed at silencing the opposition. They think we will submit in fear — but we will not.

To protect democracy, we must continue to act in unity. This message must reach villages. Therefore, we must hold joint meetings at grassroots level and carry this political journey forward, he said.