Inspired by Che: Who is new Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake?

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning politician, has been sworn in as Sri Lanka's new President. Who is he? Why did he join politics? How does he view India? All your questions answered

Marxist-leaning politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been sworn in as Sri Lanka's new President after being declared the victor in Saturday's election.

Early on Monday morning, Dissanayake took his oath at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

Dissanayake acknowledged the complexity of the challenges facing Sri Lanka and expressed his commitment to fulfilling the hopes of the people and earning their trust. "I will do my best to fully restore the people's confidence in politicians," Dissanayake stated after his swearing-in, according to news agencies.

According to the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, the 55-year-old leader of the People's Liberation Front, or Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), and the National People's Power (NPP) alliance, won Sri Lanka's presidency with 42.31 per cent of the vote. Dissanayake campaigned on a platform to combat corruption and reform politics.

 

This election marked the first since mass protests led to the ousting of Gotabaya Rajapaksa amid an economic crisis in 2022. While the situation in Sri Lanka has since stabilised with the assistance of the International Monetary Fund, voters, having faced significant hardship due to stringent austerity measures, have penalised Ranil Wickremesinghe, who assumed the presidency after Rajapaksa's departure, at the polls.

What is Anura Kumara Dissanayake's stance on India?

Dissanayake previously held a pro-China stance, according to Indian media reports. As such, his victory may have sparked concerns in India.

However, as noted by a Times of India report, while there is speculation that Dissanayake may pursue closer relations with Beijing, he recently stated that he would not permit anyone to utilise Sri Lanka's sea, land, and airspace to pose a threat to India, which is crucial for New Delhi's security interests.

Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake?

Dissanayake regards Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara as one of his heroes, according to an Al Jazeera report.

Historically, his party, the JVP, remained on the fringes of Sri Lankan politics, securing less than four per cent of the vote in the last parliamentary elections in 2020.

The JVP previously led two uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s, which resulted in over 80,000 deaths, before renouncing violence.

Dissanayake, who was a JVP student leader during the second insurrection, has recounted how his teacher sheltered him from government-backed death squads targeting party activists.

However, as Dissanayake's popularity has grown, he has moderated some of his policies. He has also reportedly expressed belief in an open economy and indicated that he is not entirely opposed to privatisation.

According to his profile by The Hindu, Dissanayake hails from a modest farming background in Anuradhapura, located in Sri Lanka's North Central province. His father worked as an office aide in the government survey department, while his mother was a homemaker.

Despite growing up in a small farming household with little political engagement, Dissanayake, often referred to by his initials "AKD", entered leftist politics during his student years.

In those days, his animosity towards the Sri Lankan state and ruling class led him to join the student wing of the JVP, a party with Marxist-Leninist roots.

According to The Hindu, his cousin, whom he regarded as an elder brother, was already involved in the party. His cousin was killed during the counter-terror operations of the Ranasinghe Premadasa government against the JVP's armed insurrection in 1988 when Dissanayake was just 20 years old.

The following year, Dissanayake also witnessed the destruction of his parents' home in Anuradhapura, due to their association with the party.

Although the JVP's second uprising saw killings, including those of political opponents and dissident leftists, the Sri Lankan state's response was often far more lethal, according to reports. This direct experience of "state terror" solidified Dissanayake's resolve to remain with the JVP.

While the JVP had an anti-imperialist and socialist agenda, aimed at overthrowing capitalism, in its initial uprising in 1971, by the 1980s, the JVP adopted a more Sinhala-nationalist stance, vehemently opposing Tamil political aspirations for self-rule and India's involvement as an arbiter during the escalation of the ethnic conflict.

After being banned for several years, the party was subsequently legalised, and the JVP shifted course in 1994 with new leadership. It integrated into mainstream politics and gained parliamentary representation.

For his part, Dissanayake secured a seat in 2000 and served as Minister of Agriculture in President Chandrika Kumaratunga Bandaranaike's government from 2004 to 2005. He became the JVP leader in 2014, succeeding Somawansa Amarasinghe.