N.U. Abdul Razzak Udayar
KANDY : “Some are born Great; some achieve Greatness and some have Greatness thrust upon themselves”
William Shakespeare
The 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, a BSc and a simple and humble resident of Thambutthegama, Anuradhapura has today incredibly stolen the limelight of becoming the newest President of this country getting 5.62 million votes with 52 percent of total votes of this nation replacing the incumbent President, Ranil Wickramasinge who was pushed down to third spot with 2.29 million votes in the highly anticipated Presidential Race of 21st September 2024, where the opposition Leader Sajid Premadasa has got the 2nd position claiming 4.34 million votes.
Achieving Greatness via Peaceful Struggle
A man of maturity, wisdom and of course the poor, the voice of the oppressed and the depressed, the Leader of the JVP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the heartthrob of each and every Sri Lanka as he completely practices simplicity, honesty and astute leadership. His rhetoric and gift of the gab along with right decision making have readily attracted not only the masses of this beloved isle, but also the upper classes, the elite and the man in the street to happily handover the mandate of the entire nation to rule Sri Lanka for five years. His path towards the greatest achievement has not been a bed of roses as parties of oppositions, particularly a unique front of this calibre that believes in complete fair play and justice always gets oppression and suppression under successive Governments in Sri Lanka. The 55-year-old dynamic leader of the National People’s Power, certainly belongs to the 2nd category under the axiom of Some are born Great; some achieve Greatness and some have Greatness thrust upon themselves” for he has been making the mission of his party, the JVP under trying conditions for the last four decades to be precise since 1985 when he was the student at his village school.
Using Rhetoric as a Weapon
Anura Kumara Dissanayaka was born in 1968 and hails from a respectable family from Thambuttegama and his father was an office aide in Survey Department and mother is a homemaker. From his childhood he completely believed in socialism that fairly treats every human being alike. His high intelligence coupled with eloquence made him to be a youth leader of the JVP at the college level. The year 1989 was the saddest day for young Anura as his house in Anuradhapura was mercilessly set on fire by his rivals for his involvement in the JVP, the People’s Liberation Front that had its inception under Marxist-Leninist origins. He started his Higher Studies at the Peradeniya University but could not continue there due to political intimidation and eventually completed it in the University of Kelaniya. Thesek obstacles were taken as a challenge by brave Anura to take forward his political activities that always look after the interests of the masses the poor and the oppressed and the suppressed. Noticeably. he had his real baptism in politics in the 1987-89 resurrection where many innocent youths were killed under the pretext of terrorism. He always believes in non-violence and carried his mission of making his party the most popular one for the whole nation. His only weapon is the rhetoric that certainly has brought the JVP to be the number one political party in terms of popularity with the conclusion of this 2024 Presidential Election.
His Representation in Parliament
It is interesting to see his 24-year-old political career in the parliament of Sri Lanka under the People Liberation Front where once he was the cabinet minister. Aptly, he was appointed as the Minister of agriculture, livestock, land, and irrigation by Chandrika Kumaratunga in 2004 when she was the President of Sri Lanka. But Anura, the Man of firm Policy, Integrity and Patriotism, without compromising his conviction angrily threw away the powerful post of Minster of Agriculture when the Government signed a pact with the LTTE for Tsunami Relief Coordination.
His Parliamentary Career
2004 People’s Liberation Front
| 2020-08-20 to present | National People’s Power (NPP), |
| 2015-09-01 – 2020-03-02 | People’s Liberation Front (JVP), |
| 2010-04-22 – 2015-06-26 | Democratic National Alliance (DNA), |
| 2004-04-22 – 2010-02-09 | United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), |
| 2001-12-19 – 2004-02-07 | People’s Liberation Front (JVP), |
| 2000-10-18 – 2001-10-10 | People’s Liberation Front (JVP), |
Undoubtedly, today AKD is a household name in this country not only for his clever political movement but also for his unwavering struggle to fight tooth and nail against corruption, nepotism and all other irregularities that are easily witnessed in our country. At this crucial juncture, the whole nation expresses their congratulations and support for him to make Sri Lanka a better place to live in. As the Cost of Living is the number one issue for the masses it is believed that he will immediately announce the relief measures to get the masses back on the track of ease and normalcy and to keep the home fires burning.
