Over a year has passed since the National People’s Power Government assumed office, carried by an extraordinary wave of public expectation. It came to power at a moment of rare civic awakening, in the aftermath of the 2022 aragalaya, when citizens demanded nothing less than a break from the past. ‘System change’, an end to corruption, discipline in public spending, and accountability in governance, were not just campaign slogans. They were moral demands from a people exhausted by decades of misrule and fiscal recklessness.
The NPP inherited a country bruised by economic collapse, with a population that is distrustful of the State. There was great hope, especially among the youth, that Sri Lanka could break free from its past. That hope was its greatest political capital. Despite limited experience in government and despite the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s long and often controversial history, the rebranded NPP succeeded in presenting itself as a clean break. For many voters, it symbolised idealism, integrity and a promise to do politics differently. For older citizens shaped by the violence and upheavals of 1971 and 1987-89, scepticism remained. Even so, the mandate was decisive.
The first year of governance was inevitably uneven. Errors were made, missteps were visible, and policy confusion was not uncommon. Yet these were largely forgiven. The explanation offered, and widely accepted, was that the Government was still finding its feet. There was patience, perhaps too much of it, rooted in the belief that good intentions would eventually translate into good governance. However, nothing remains new for long, especially in politics.
More than a year on, cracks have begun to show, not merely in administrative competence but in attitudes towards power, dissent and accountability. Of particular concern are two developments that strike at the heart of democratic life. The first is the increasingly hostile posture towards the media, ranging from veiled warnings to outright intimidation. A Government born of popular protest should know better than to view journalists as adversaries rather than watchdogs.
The second is the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, intended to replace the discredited Prevention of Terrorism Act. While its stated objective is reform, the substance raises familiar alarms. Broad definitions, sweeping powers and weak safeguards risk perpetuating the same culture of abuse that made the PTA a stain on Sri Lanka’s legal system. This was not the change that was promised.
These are not isolated concerns. They are signals, early but unmistakable, of a governing mindset that appears increasingly comfortable with authority and increasingly impatient with scrutiny. What makes this moment especially troubling is not only the actions of the Government, but the silence that has greeted them.
Where is the civic consciousness that once filled streets and public squares? Where are the vigorous debates, the sustained questioning, and the refusal to accept power exercised without justification? Where are the activists, professionals and ordinary citizens who once insisted that no Government should be above reproach?
It is tempting to explain this quietude as fatigue. Protest movements are difficult to sustain, and economic hardship has pushed survival to the forefront of daily life. It is also possible that some supporters fear that criticism will strengthen old political forces. But democracy does not thrive on loyalty alone. It survives on vigilance. Also, transparency and accountability were not mere campaign slogans for the masses who voted for the NPP; they were requirements that the public wanted fulfilled.
History offers a sobering lesson. Every Government that has abused power in this country has done so not overnight, but gradually, aided by public indifference and selective outrage. Complacency is fertile ground for authoritarian habits. The NPP is not immune to this, regardless of its origins or intentions.
As the country settles into a new year, it is time for citizens to reclaim the role they so powerfully asserted in 2022. Accountability is not an act of hostility. It is a civic duty. A parliamentary majority, even an overwhelming one, does not confer a licence to govern without restraint. Power in a democracy is always conditional, always subject to question.
The promise that brought this Government to office was not blind faith, but principled change. If that promise is to mean anything, it must be defended not by slogans or electoral victories, but by an engaged public willing to speak, challenge and resist when necessary. Silence, at this juncture, would be the greatest betrayal of all.