The 102nd birth anniversary of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa was commemorated on Sunday (21) with a religious ceremony at the Sri Seewali Maha Seya Temple in Kengalla, Kandy.
According to Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, the son of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, the event included the laying of the foundation stone for an eighteen‑foot Buddha statue, distribution of dry rations to the temple, and books for children.
Speaking at the ceremony, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa hailed his late father as “the only President who did what he said and said what he did.”
He recalled the landmark Gam Udawa housing programmes, which delivered on the 1977 election pledge to build 100,000 houses and later expanded to larger schemes with integrated initiatives such as home gardening, health, and economic revival.
Premadasa also stressed the importance of English language education, noting his father’s foresight in strengthening English skills among the Maha Sangha and highlighting today’s persistent divide between elite and rural schools.
He criticized the government for failing to adapt education to the digital era, warning that Sri Lanka is not preparing professionals for the modern job market.
Turning to industry, he urged protection of existing garment factories rather than pursuing impractical ventures, and called for a consistent national policy to address the country’s economic challenges.
He said that unlike current relief programmes focused only on consumption, the Janasaviya initiative under his father combined investment, savings, production, and exports.
The 102nd birth anniversary of Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sri Lanka’s third President from 1989, falls today, June 23. (Newswire)