Elected President does not own the state

I refer to the editorial of The Island , dated 24.04 2025, under the title ‘Good governance: Pie in the sky?’ and the article of Dr. Upul Wijayawardhana in The Island dated 23.

04.2025, titled ‘The sea change after Modi’s visit,’ on similar subjects. They urge the government to disclose the contents of the MoUs signed with India during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Sri Lanka visit.



We remember how the UNP leader J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ) signed the Indo-Lanka Pact in 1987 amidst a curfew, disregarding widespread opposition to the treacherous agreement, its repercussions.

Later, the Constitution was amended to accommodate what India wanted JRJ to do. Fortunately, no government has yet devolved the police and land powers, as per the said agreement, based on ethnic lines. If fully implemented, it will be irreversible and, if an attempt is made to reverse them, the consequences will be disastrous.

Similarly, a ceasefire agreement crafted by the Norwegians, and signed by the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran, in 2002, was not transparent and didn’t serve Sri Lanka’s interests. Unless this foolish agreement had been abrogated and the LTTE defeated, the situation would have been totally different.

We also remember how the JVP leaders took on those governments for signing the above agreements. The JVP’s reign of terror destroyed thousands of lives and state assets worth billions of rupees in the late 1980s, as rightly mentioned in the aforementioned editorial. The public elects the country’s President and MPs for a specific period.

They have no right to commit the country to long-term agreements that are detrimental to the country in many ways. Sangadasa Akurugoda.