Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa will share a stage tomorrow (17) at an academic conference in Colombo examining the governance philosophy and foreign policy of former President J.R. Jayewardene.
The event, organised by the Alumni Association of the D.S. Senanayake Political Academy, is scheduled to begin at 2.00 p.m. at the National Library and Documentation Services Board Auditorium near Independence Square, Colombo 07, under the theme "J.R., Governance, and the Middle Path."
The joint appearance of United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Samagi Jana Balawegaya chief Sajith Premadasa on a single platform has sparked widespread interest across the political spectrum.
The conference will focus on the economic and social reforms introduced by J.R. Jayewardene, who brought open market policies to Sri Lanka in 1977, the first such move in South Asia at the time.
Discussions are expected to assess the long term legacy of large scale state led development projects carried out during his tenure, along with the concentration of executive authority established under the 1978 Constitution and its effect on the country's socio-economic trajectory.
Organisers have also indicated that a key focus of the event will be the concept of 'middle path governance' and its relevance to developing nations navigating current global financial instability and regional geopolitical tensions, with the aim of drawing out expert perspectives on how such an approach might help stabilise a state under external pressure.
The event, spearheaded by D.S. Senanayake Political Academy Chairman Buddhika Pathirana, is expected to draw a wide cross section of academics, diplomats, policy researchers and political figures.
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