Anura Kumara Dissanayake: The Revolutionary Hope for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Political Landscape and Dissanayake's Rise

It is 4pm on a Sunday evening at Homagama, a Colombo neighbourhood. Small groups of working class people walk into an open ground for an election rally. An hour later, the ground remains half empty. High decibel speakers belt out popular Sinhala numbers. By 6pm, darkness engulfs the area as rain clouds gather high up in the sky. Soon, it starts raining, but, by then, the venue is full. People unfurl their umbrellas and wait for the leader to arrive. It is almost 8pm when a man, clad in jeans and a blue shirt, walks on to the stage. The crowd laps up every single word of his speech. Anura Kumara Dissanayake has that effect on people. Political observers say his people skills are impeccable. They point to his unique disarming style while dealing with his party colleagues, parliamentarians, ambassadors, political aides and even his detractors. And that could be one of the factors that has helped him win over a significant number of voters and emerge as a leading contender this presidential election.

Marxist Ideology at the Forefront

Rooted in the Marxist-Leninist ideology, the 55-year-old Anura leads the National People's Power, a coalition of leftist political parties and socialist groups. The leading party in the coalition is the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, headed by Anura. With his strong anti-corruption credentials, Anura, who is the sitting MP for Colombo district, is running an energetic campaign against the two other main candidates, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.

• Emphasizing an anti-corruption platform
• Addressing the economic hardships faced by the nation
• Connecting deeply with youth and working-class voters

'The voters used to be carried away by emotions and petty identities such as religion, race, or affiliation to a particular party. This election is going to decide whether they want the same crooks or they want to find a new path. Anura is the anti-corruption leader who wants to bring about a change,' said Anil Jayantha, executive committee member of the NPP. 'This is a historic moment that will change the destiny of the Sri Lankan people.'

Anura's Vision for Sri Lanka

Born on November 24, 1968, at Thambuttegama in Anuradhapura district to a daily-wage worker and a homemaker, Anura was active in student politics during his days at the University of Peradeniya and the University of Kelaniya. He entered politics full-time with the JVP's anti-government insurrection of 1987-1989. In 1995, he became the national organiser of the Socialist Students Association and was appointed to the central working committee of the JVP.

1. His past roles include being agriculture minister under Chandrika Kumaratunga.
2. In 2019, he contested the presidential election against Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
3. His grassroots campaign gained traction post the economic crisis starting in 2021.

Anura has also promised to abolish the powerful executive presidency and to renegotiate the terms of the IMF economic programme. 'The implementation of the IMF programme has caused significant hardship for the people. That is why we are seeking a new mandate from the public to renegotiate with the IMF,' said Anura. 'In pursuing economic goals, we must advance in a way that alleviates pressure on the public... We aim to make the necessary changes gradually to ensure long-term stability.'

Challenges Ahead

While Anura and his alliance are growing increasingly popular, there are also apprehensions about them. His popularity and revolutionary ideas do not go well with the Colombo elites and the rich. In 2019, Gotabaya won because there was a fear factor about terrorism returning to the country. Though that fear has abated somewhat, the JVP's revolutionary ideas and the insurrection it launched in the late 1980s could work against Anura. 'When Aragalaya was at its peak, the houses of MPs were burnt. Many places were set on fire. Who did that? The JVP was well entrenched in Aragalaya. So that fear factor is there this time,' said a senior Sri Lankan official. Some critics worry that insurgency could return to the island under an Anura presidency.

The Marxist leader's emergence could upset the ongoing economic reforms, too, given his dislike of the IMF. 'Anura finished a distant third in the 2019 elections. The popularity he has gained now is a huge surge from the 3 percent he got back then,' said Omar Rajarathnam, adviser to Factum, a Colombo-based think tank. 'There is concern among people whether he has the experience to govern, but in democracies, the people's mandate takes priority over the leader's political experience.'