(Lanka-e-News - 18.Sep.2025, 10.00 PM) It was on 21 September 2024 that Sri Lanka delivered a political shockwave to the world. In a small town called Thambuttegama, a young man cast his ballot in what seemed like an ordinary act. Yet that ordinary vote, joined by millions of others, propelled Anura Kumara Dissanayake—a man who had spent over 60 years in the trenches of a radical leftist tradition—into the presidency of Sri Lanka.
What made it extraordinary was not only the man himself but the manner of his ascent. The island’s voters, weary of dynasties and cynical about elites, handed the presidency to the leader of a left-wing party through nothing more than peaceful, universal suffrage. It was a democratic transfer of power with revolutionary overtones.
In doing so, Sri Lanka offered the world something unprecedented: proof that a radical break with the political establishment could be achieved not through insurrection, but through the ballot box. Traditional Marxist thinkers had long dismissed such a scenario as fantasy. Yet on that day, Sri Lanka became a case study in the possibility of radical change within a democratic frame.
Dissanayake’s election was more than a personal victory. It marked the moment when power shifted from Sri Lanka’s entrenched elites the dynastic families and their entrenched allies—to ordinary citizens.
History suggests such moments only occur when old regimes exhaust their ability to maintain power. In 2024, that was precisely the case. After decades of mismanagement, corruption, and an economy battered by debt crises, the old order had run out of answers. The public, in turn, ran out of patience.
Yet the true measure of the revolution was not merely electoral. A year on, observers note that the new administration—formed by 159 largely untested parliamentarians—has managed to keep the country moving forward without the usual signs of faltering or backroom compromise. Critics predicted paralysis; instead, the government has surprised many by keeping the nation on a steady course.
The victory owed much to Sri Lankans abroad, particularly in Britain. The Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay, and Burgher communities in the UK lent their voices, their energy, and their resources to a campaign that was often dismissed at home.
That spirit of solidarity continues into 2025. To mark the first anniversary of the “people’s victory,” the UK branch of the National People’s Power (NPP) has announced a celebratory gathering under the banner: “Mission Unstoppable – Steadfastly Forward.”
On Sunday 21 September 2025, at 2 p.m., Sri Lankans from across Britain will gather at the Crystal Grand in Slough. The event promises more than speeches. Organisers have prepared an afternoon of music, Sri Lankan cuisine, and a chance for a diaspora scattered across Britain to celebrate together.
The tone, however, is more than festive. For many, it will be a reaffirmation of the moment when, through their votes and their solidarity, they helped tilt the course of Sri Lanka’s history.
The organisers extend an open invitation to all Sri Lankans in the United Kingdom who believe in democratic change and in the spirit of 2024’s transformation. “Mission Unstoppable” is both a celebration and a statement: that the movement born in Sri Lanka continues to grow roots abroad.
Details at a glance:
Event: Mission Unstoppable – Steadfastly Forward
Date & Time: Sunday, 21 September 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Crystal Grand, 3 Bath Road, Slough, SL1 3UA
Contact: 07702 007517 | 07898 642683 | 07984 396378
A year ago, Sri Lanka showed the world that a revolution could be peaceful, democratic, and unstoppable. This weekend in London, its diaspora will raise a glass—and a song—in recognition of that fact.
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by (2025-09-18 16:30:53)
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