Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has told United National Party members that an alliance with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya would not in itself deliver electoral victory.
“Some anticipate that a UNP-SJB alliance would be a political success, as such an alliance would win future elections. Such an anticipation could be wrong, as politics has changed today,” Wickremesinghe said, according to the Daily Mirror.
The remarks push back against a recurring line of speculation in opposition politics, where a combination of the two parties — both rooted in the same political tradition — is often presented as the arithmetic answer to the National People’s Power’s dominance.
A generational argument
Wickremesinghe framed his objection around younger voters. “One has to look into the thinking patterns of Millennial and Gen Z generations,” he said, adding that he had held discussions with members of those generations.
He said they wanted party activity carried out online, and argued the era of writing manifestos for five-year terms was ending. Policies, he said, should be prepared for far longer horizons — up to 25 years.
He also offered a blunt assessment of the parties’ standing with younger voters. “Millennial and Gen Z generations have no knowledge of political parties and politics. However, a party has to attract them if it is to win in an election in the future.”
A significant number of them could go abroad because the present government had failed to meet their expectations, he said, noting that members of these generations were involved in the 2022 Aragalaya protests.
Wickremesinghe said the UNP would be restructured to attract the new generation.