Poor Dhammika Perera, once hailed as the SLPP’s presidential hope, found himself in quite the predicament. For months, he was kept on the sidelines, like a prized goat waiting for the sacrificial altar. The SLPP, with their cunning plans, seemed to have chosen him as their biblical scapegoat, ready to pile all their sins onto his unsuspecting shoulders and then send him off into the electoral wilderness to appease the wrath of the people. What an honor, right?
But as fate—or perhaps good old common sense—would have it, Dhammika caught wind of the SLPP’s grand design just before the big reveal. Realizing that being the fall guy wasn’t exactly a great retirement plan, he decided to bow out before he found himself neck-deep in the political quagmire. And who could blame him? After all, sacrificing his comfortable life for the sake of political drama wasn’t exactly what he had signed up for, not even for all the treasure in Ali Baba’s trove.
“personal reasons”
On the night of August 6, Dhammika penned a letter citing “personal reasons” for his sudden withdrawal. Translation: “Thanks, but no thanks.” It was a classic case of getting out while the getting was good—a move that surely earned him a nod of approval from Lady Luck, who had already made him the richest man in Lanka. Better to keep your head and your fortune intact, right?
With Dhammika’s exit, the SLPP’s grand plan had to be swiftly revised. The luxurious venue at Nelum Pokuna, originally intended for his coronation, was unceremoniously abandoned. Instead, the party opted for the more humble surroundings of Battaramulla’s Nelum Mawatha, where the crown and sceptre were handed over to Namal Rajapaksa in a simple, open-air ceremony.
In true dynastic style, Namal wasted no time in showing his gratitude. He rushed to his seated father, Mahinda, to worship and kiss him, before turning to Uncle Basil to do the same. It was a family affair, after all, with all the pomp and circumstance one would expect from a medieval coronation—minus the knights and dragons, of course.
