• Slams Prez for abuse of Exec. power over P’ment overview

United Republic Front leader Patali Champika Ranawaka warned that the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed between the Governments of Sri Lanka and India during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could compromise national sovereignty and drag the country into geopolitical tensions in the Indian Ocean.

The exchange of seven MoUs signed between India and Sri Lanka, including one on defence co-operation took place during Modi's visit to Sri Lanka.

Speaking to the media, Ranawaka alleged that the current Government including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had once strongly criticised such agreements, but have now changed their stance after coming into power. “These MoUs with India should have been signed with the consensus of all parties in the Parliament. Instead, they have been signed using Presidential powers based on personal will and interest. The same party that vocally opposed the abuse of Executive power is now doing the same.” Commenting specifically on the security-related agreements with India, he warned that aligning with one power in the Indian Ocean could entangle Sri Lanka in future conflicts. He said that similar decisions made by then-President J.R. Jayewardene in 1977 led to long-term consequences. “President Jayewardene aligned with the United States (US), and India responded aggressively. That wrong foreign policy decision led to a 30-year war”. He further warned that Sri Lanka could again be caught in the middle of geopolitical struggles between India, China, and the US due to such agreements. "How would the Government handle future pressures from global powers? If the US demands another agreement or if China demands immediate debt repayment, how will Dissanayake and the Government respond? We cannot afford to be pawns in their power games.”

Ranawaka also warned of adverse consequences through the possible transfer or sharing of Sri Lankan citizens' digital data through these agreements. “People’s data is national wealth. Handing it over to another country or a foreign company is a betrayal of the sovereignty and rights of the people. We don’t yet know the full content of these agreements because they haven’t been made public. Once we do, we will issue a formal response. But, what has happened so far is wrong.”