Cardinal calling the shots in military appointments, charges Opposition MP

By Yohan Perera 

There is a sinister move by the government to extend the term of the current army commander until January 2028 following the request of the Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake charged.  

“The term of the current army commander ended on July 2 2026. There is a move to extend his term further until January 2028. A number of senior army officers, including Nilantha Premaratne will be overlooked when extending the term of the current army commander. The one who will take over from the current army commander in 2028 will be a person surnamed Fernando. This is being done following the request of Cardinal Ranjith,” the MP said during a seminar organised by the joint opposition. 

“Those in the government meet Mahanayake Theras once in three months. However, it seems that Cardinal has a say in appointments. The people who are appointed to posts such as army commander and the CID chief is decided upon by the Cardinal. It is a good thing that the Sri Lankan cardinal did not become the Pope. Sri Lanka would have become another Vatican if cardinal Ranjith was elected pope,” the MP added. 

Hitting out at the church further, Mr Dassanayake charged that some catholic priests had lodged in holiday resorts run by the Army in Batticaloa recently and had enjoyed luxury. 

MP Dassanayake was critical of Minister Lalkatha, who was reported to have said Sri Lankans are consuming too much rice. “I would like to ask the minister as to what we should eat instead of rice,” he said sarcastically. 

MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, in his speech, stressed the need for a grand opposition alliance to topple the government. “Those in the joint opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya and others, should come together to fight against the current suppression carried out by the government. “The government is using legislation such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Public Properties Act to victimise the opposition politicians. “All parties which oppose the government will come together and take to the streets before long if the government does not stop the suppression of opposition politicians,” he said.