Opposition political party leaders and representatives said that no government can face the current national crisis alone, calling for a collective national effort to rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
They made the remarks at a meeting held in Colombo, convened by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the United National Party headquarters on Malik Road.
UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena said leaders or representatives from more than 35 registered political parties attended.
The meeting began with several minutes of silence in memory of the Sri Lankans who died during the cyclone.
Opposition leaders also levelled strong criticism at the government, calling it inexperienced and alleging serious lapses in disaster preparedness and response. They said key provisions of the Disaster Management Act were not implemented on November 27 despite extensive workshops earlier this year, and faulted the decision to declare November 28 a holiday, which they said immobilised departments responsible for emergency duties. They also accused the government of politicising the distribution of relief and bypassing Parliament, the Cabinet and the Disaster Management Centre by setting up a parallel relief fund. Several leaders said there was no clear strategy for facing the disaster and no published plan for rehabilitation and repair.
The group proposed that Parliament immediately appoint an Oversight Committee on Disaster Management and Reconstruction, chaired by an experienced MP, with equal representation from the government and opposition. They said the committee should supervise government actions, assess economic impacts and report directly to Parliament. They also called for a separate Select Committee headed by an opposition member to examine lapses that occurred on November 28 and present findings within six months.
They stressed that District Secretaries should lead district-level relief and reconstruction efforts and submit reports to the DMC, while political interference should be removed from field operations. Leaders also said the current Budget was irrelevant in the immediate term and that a Vote on Account was sufficient until a new budget is presented in January 2026 once the full scale of damage is known.
The opposition group said foreign grants for reconstruction were unlikely in the short and medium term due to global economic pressures, and urged Sri Lanka to pursue long-term concessional financing from the ADB, AIIB, JBIC and KOICA. They also recommended seeking India’s assistance for railway reconstruction and called for reactivating the national climate change policy with a specific emphasis on landslide risks.
The party leaders further argued that according to a recent Supreme Court judgment, the government’s alleged negligence amounts to a constitutional tort and a breach of public trust. They said restoring stability in the economy would require increasing government revenue beyond 15 percent of GDP and achieving at least 6 percent annual growth in the medium term.
The group also endorsed a proposal to summon a national assembly of religious leaders, political leaders and prominent personalities to guide the long-term rebuilding process, chaired initially by the four Mahanayake Theras. They suggested former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya as one of the convenors, alongside a government-appointed convenor.
Opposition representatives again raised allegations that state power was being exercised outside constitutional channels, claiming the Pelawatte office of the JVP had become a centre of decision-making during the crisis. They said power must be restored to Parliament in line with the Constitution.
The discussions concluded with agreement that rebuilding Sri Lanka requires broad cooperation across political, religious and civic sectors and that a structured national platform should be formed to direct the recovery effort. (Newswire)