President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced his intention to form a streamlined Cabinet of Ministers comprising fewer than 25 Members.

He highlighted the growing public disillusionment with politics, and labelled the current political landscape as tainted by unethical practices. Addressing a public rally held in Kalutara, the President said: “For too long, politics has been treated as a business. What we see in the Parliament often resembles a spectacle – members jumping around, welding chillie powder, bringing knives, and engaging in disruptive behaviour on the Chamber floor.” 

He further criticised the shielding of lawmakers from accountability, referencing a recent no confidence motion against the former Health Minister (Keheliya Rambukwella) over allegations of medicine related theft. He described a Parliament populated by ‘lawbreakers and extortionists’, stating that the political environment has become ‘unpleasant and corrupt’.

In this backdrop, President Dissanayake declared that 14 November – the date of the General/Parliamentary Election - will mark a significant ‘shramadhana (cleaning)’, a national act of cleaning, focused on the Parliament. He urged citizens to view the initiative as an effort to clean up the Legislature.