COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has faced criticism for his inability to face challenges after he cancelled a live interview with a privately-owned local television channel, and over evading responsibility as a leader.

Sri Lanka’s Derana television channel informed the public that Premadasa would appear in its live 360 program late evening on Tuesday (17).

However, Premadasa’s party had sent a letter stating that he had never been confirmed for a live interview.

“As usual, Sajith Premadasa has evaded facing challenges,” Manusha Nanayakkara, a former legislator from Premadasa’s Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) who is now backing President Ranil Wickremesinghe charged in a live talk show which replaced the opposition leader’s scheduled live 360 program.

A member of SJB said that the opposition leader did not confirm a live program.

“He did not confirm that he will participate. This has been informed in writing,” Ajith Mannapperuma, an SJB parliamentarian told viewers on Tuesday.

However, program host Chathura Alwis of Derana said the TV channel started to advertise in papers and the TV after Premadasa agreed to the interview.

Sri Lanka’s presidential candidates have mostly evaded debates on their policies with other candidates. Instead, they usually send surrogates for debates and live programs.

Premadasa’s refusal to participate in a live television program comes more than two years after he refused to take over the prime minister post offered to him by former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the peak of a political crisis following an unprecedented economic crisis.

Premadasa later said he rejected the offer because he did not have a mandate from the people and he did not want to work with corrupt politicians who people wanted to chase out with mass protests.

However, Nanayakkara, who is now backing the current president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, for his presidential bid at Saturday’s (21) election said Premadasa did not heed the party members’ requests in 2022.

“When we repeatedly asked him to take over the government, he did not take it. He is not a leader who can take on a challenge,” Nanayakkatra said.

Premadasa, however, appeared in a program on Monday in another privately owned channel which is backing him. His critics have claimed the Monday program was pre-recorded and aired as a live program.

-economynext.com