I’ve watched Mehdi Hasan before—he is always aggressive and combative. But even by his usual standards, his interview with Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) was deeply premeditated. This wasn’t about getting answers. It wasn’t about journalism. It was about pushing an agenda—an outright interrogation where the objective was to attack, not engage.
There is a way to ask tough questions while still being fair. Instead, Mehdi shouted over responses, cut off explanations, and twisted words to fit his own narrative. If the answer didn’t suit him, he simply refused to listen.
I’ve seen how he operates, but I wonder—does he apply the same treatment to leaders from powerful nations? Does he aggressively grill them on their failures, war crimes, and human rights abuses with the same level of hostility? Or is this reserved for leaders from smaller nations like ours?
No one is claiming that Sri Lanka is without flaws. We have work to do. We need reforms. We need accountability. But that is our fight. Sri Lankans will decide the future of Sri Lanka—not a journalist with an agenda, nor an international media outlet with selective scrutiny.
Public service is often a thankless job. But distorting facts, rewriting history, and weaponising interviews to undermine a country’s progress is shameful.
You may love him or hate him, but you can’t deny the facts. When Sri Lanka hit rock bottom, RW stepped in and pulled the country out of economic recession and crisis—not once, but twice. First in 2001, and again in 2022. No one else had the courage to take responsibility when it mattered most. At the very least, we must show some gratitude.
And let’s not get carried away celebrating this so-called “takedown.” No contemporary politician in Sri Lanka could have withstood that level of bullying and hostility. RW, once again, proved why he stands apart.
Sri Lanka will move forward—not on the terms of an international journalist with an agenda, but on our own.
