Sri Lanka’s opposition has cited a reported 16.12 per cent increase in gold pawning during the first five months of 2026 as evidence of worsening financial pressure on households. Harshana Rajakaruna, a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) parliamentarian from Gampaha District, said Rs 150 million worth of gold jewellery had been pawned during the period, compared with 2025.
Speaking at a special media briefing at the SJB headquarters on Sunday (28), Rajakaruna described the situation facing the public as “very regrettable” and linked it to what he said was the government’s failure to implement commitments made before the presidential election.
Rajakaruna also criticised President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for not attending the United Nations summit while world leaders were gathering there. He said Sri Lanka needed strong foreign relations to move forward with the international community and should participate in forums such as the United Nations summit. He claimed that, while the president was engaged in political activities in the districts, Sri Lanka was missing an opportunity to strengthen its international relationships.
The opposition MP also accused the president of changing his position on constitutional reform after coming to power. According to Rajakaruna, Dissanayake had pledged before gaining office to abolish the executive presidency and introduce a new constitution. Rajakaruna said the government had instead moved to increase presidential powers and was seeking to amend only one provision of the existing Constitution rather than introduce a new constitutional framework.
He similarly criticised the government over electricity charges, fuel prices and the pricing formula. Rajakaruna said these issues had been discussed before the government came to power, including commitments to abolish the pricing formula, but claimed that such promises were no longer being advanced. He also accused the president of making statements that spread hatred among the public instead.
Renewable energy was another area of criticism. Rajakaruna said various commitments had been made before elections regarding renewable energy projects, but claimed that people who had invested in solar panels were now facing severe difficulties. He alleged that the government had failed to implement the measures it had promised and was instead acting to undermine renewable energy.
Rajakaruna called for provincial council elections to determine public opinion about the government and opposition. He said the government had previously stated that the elections would be held within a year but had not yet conducted them. He also criticised a parliamentary select committee established to consider the conduct of provincial council elections, claiming that it had become a committee looking for reasons not to hold the polls.
“The best solution” to determining whether public opinion supports the government or opposition, he said, was to hold an election. He urged the government to proceed with the provincial council elections rather than take steps to delay them.
On opposition cooperation, Rajakaruna said opposition parties sometimes worked together and sometimes operated separately. He acknowledged that the opposition was not preparing to contest an election as a single bloc, but said there was no difficulty in working with the United National Party. He added that the SJB did not have the ability to bring all other parties together.
