Sri Lanka’s Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has defended his widely publicised gesture of kissing Kawanthissa, a deceased tusker, saying it was more meaningful and worthier than gestures of affection towards the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Premadasa criticised the Government’s relationship with international financial institutions, including the IMF, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), while highlighting the extent of poverty in the country.
Referring to a 2025 World Bank report, he said an estimated 61.1% of Sri Lanka’s population was living on less than US$8.30 a day in 2025. He raised concerns over the country’s economic conditions and questioned the Government’s approach towards the international financial institutions involved in its economic affairs.
Premadasa said the IMF, World Bank and ADB were among the institutions that the Government preferred to “kiss and hug”, using the expression to criticise what he portrayed as the Government’s close relationship with international financial organisations.
During his parliamentary speech, he produced a document containing a photograph of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya greeting the then IMF chief with an embrace. He acknowledged that the image showed a conventional form of greeting but used it to illustrate his criticism of the Government’s relationship with the institution.
“I shouldn’t be showing this against the Prime Minister, but here’s an image of you kissing. That’s fine; it’s the normal way of greeting someone,” Premadasa said.
His remarks also addressed criticism directed at him over his public gesture towards Kawanthissa, the deceased tusker. The incident had attracted attention, with Premadasa subsequently facing criticism over his decision to kiss the animal.
Referring to those criticisms, he said members of the Government had failed to understand the significance of his gesture. He maintained that expressing affection towards the dead elephant was more meaningful and worthy than gestures of affection towards the IMF chief.
The parliamentary remarks linked the controversy surrounding Kawanthissa with a broader criticism of the Government’s engagement with international financial institutions, as Premadasa questioned its approach amid the poverty figures he cited from the World Bank report.
