All opposition political parties are to meet in Colombo on Thursday, 17 September to discuss launching a joint campaign to safeguard democracy, Joint Opposition convenor Professor G.L. Peiris said, according to the Daily Mirror.
Peiris said the meeting had been prompted by remarks from within the governing National People’s Power.
“A dangerous remark is being made by those in the ruling NPP saying they are not happy with having a government alone. This means that their expectation is to take all institutions of the government under one political party. This will kill democracy. Therefore, opposition political parties will meet to discuss launching a common struggle to safeguard democracy,” he said.
What is not established
The Daily Mirror does not identify who in the NPP made the remark Peiris is responding to, when it was made, or in what setting. The quotation Peiris characterises is his own paraphrase; no direct quotation from any NPP figure appears in the report, and the party has not responded.
Nor does the report name a single party that has agreed to attend, give the venue or time, say who convened the meeting, or state whether the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya — the largest opposition bloc in Parliament, and not part of the grouping Peiris convenes — is among those invited. “All opposition political parties” is Peiris’s description, not a confirmed attendance list.
A single-source report
No other verified newsroom had filed on the announcement at the time of writing. Searches across Ada Derana, NewsFirst, Hiru News, EconomyNext, the Daily FT, The Island, Colombo Gazette and Daily News returned no report of a meeting called for 17 September; the results that did surface concerned earlier and unrelated opposition discussions.
This account therefore rests on one outlet, and on remarks by one participant given before the meeting has taken place.
Sri Lanka’s opposition has repeatedly announced joint platforms since the NPP took office, and remains fragmented across competing alliances. Whether Thursday’s meeting produces a common programme, a statement, or nothing at all is not something the announcement establishes.
