The highly anticipated political unification between the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the United National Party (UNP) now depends entirely on their leaders jointly declaring an alliance before the public, according to Professor Upul Dissanayake.
Speaking at a press conference at the Devon Hotel in Kandy on Thursday, Prof Dissanayake said the merger would only have meaning if both party leaders came together on a single platform and formally announced their decision, rather than pursuing informal or backroom arrangements.
He stressed that any other approach would be futile and would bring no benefit either to party supporters or to the country’s broader democratic landscape.
Dissanayake urged the leadership of both parties to expedite the process, adding that he was prepared to make personal sacrifices to help facilitate the political alignment. A unified message from the two leaders could consolidate what he described as a fragmented democratic bloc and potentially shape a new political turning point.
He further said any merger should be guided by core principles and a shared understanding that protects the dignity of both parties, noting that international political history offered several successful examples of coalition-building grounded in public aspirations.
The intervention raises the public-signalling bar at a moment when the two parties’ alignment has been talked up at multiple levels without a formal announcement. SJB leader Sajith Premadasa first floated PC-elections cooperation as the working framework on May Day. Harin Fernando pitched a dual-leadership SJB–UNP unity model on May 6, and Navin Dissanayake confirmed talks on a formal alliance on May 11. The UNP also broke convention this year, declining both the SJB May Day rally and holding no separate Labour Day event citing the Vesak overlap.
