The United National Party (UNP) has expressed concern over a remark made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the 36th Il Maha Viru Samaruma, alleging that a key comment was deliberately omitted from the official record of the event.
According to the UNP, the President’s statement that “a crown did not fall on our head by drifting down a drain” was included in his speech at the commemoration but was not reflected in the official press release titled “Remarks by Comrade Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the 36th Il Maha Viru Samaruma.” The party claims this omission was intentional.
The UNP also questioned whether the President’s comment hinted at an attempt to revive governance concepts from the pre-1972 constitutional framework, including references to “oath-wearing rulers,” a practice abolished under the First Republican Constitution.
The party further noted that President Dissanayake has sworn an oath to uphold the sovereignty of the people, emphasising that Sri Lanka’s Second Republican Constitution is founded on principles endorsed through a national referendum, affirming the supremacy of popular sovereignty.
