The United National Party on a new path for smart politics suitable for the new world

United National Party leader and former President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that the country's freedom and the multi-party system must be equally protected for the future. He expressed these views while participating in the launch of the “Smart UNP-2026” program held at the Sirikotha party headquarters last Wednesday.

With the aim of integrating the party with modern technology, the ‘Starlink’ internet service was officially introduced to the Sirikotha headquarters.

The former President pointed out that the visionary leadership of D.S. Senanayake, the first Prime Minister of independent Ceylon, and all leaders who contributed to building the country over the past 78 years, should be appreciated. The 50 Central Colleges started by D.S. Senanayake have grown to 1,400 today, and instead of the single university that existed then, there are now 19 government universities and 27 non-governmental universities. Furthermore, hospital facilities have exceeded 550, and the country has been able to achieve self-sufficiency in rice. Mr. Wickremesinghe stated that this progress was achieved through the protection of the free and multi-party system, and all forces should unite for that purpose.

Recalling that he took over the collapsed economy in 2022 and worked to restore stability in the country, Mr. Wickremesinghe mentioned that we currently live in a society full of digital technology. He stated that the time has come to entrust the future of the country and the party to the generation born in the digital age, known as ‘Gen Z’, and the ‘Gen Beta’ generation born after the war, and that the United National Party is ready to move forward with this generation that grows up with mobile phones and computers. The former Prime Minister pointed out that just as the country was prepared for the ‘Baby Boomers’ generation and J.R. Jayawardene prepared the country for the ‘Millennium’ generation, the current United National Party should prepare for the ‘Gen Beta’ generation.

The former President further stated that today we live not in the era of J.R. Jayawardene but in Donald Trump's world, and that we must face this reality in an environment where China poses challenges and India is rising as a power. He urged to embrace new technologies such as the created world or virtual reality (Virtual Reality) and adapt to a ‘New Vibe’ in politics, and to join the “Smart UNP” which is being built as a digital party for this purpose. Under this new program, new positions such as ‘Digital Administrator’ and ‘Digital Organizer’ are to be created within the party, and Wi-Fi facilities and digital membership cards will be introduced to the Sirikotha headquarters through Starlink technology.

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