Three decades under the rule of Father, Mother and Daughter

By Kalani Kumarasinghe  

Sri Lanka was ruled for almost three decades by a trio of father, mother and daughter, Prof. Charitha Herath said responding to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga’s statement on the country becoming a failed state.  

Former President Kumaratunga recently said that Sri Lanka was a country which ranked well on social indices at the time of independence, but has now regressed and become a failed state.   

“What are these ridiculous statements? Out of these 75 years, for at least 30 years, it was her father, mother and herself who ruled the country,” Herath said, responding to questions by journalists.   

He said that former President Bandaranaike ruled the country for 11 years, her mother Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike ruled for 12 years, while her father S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike ruled the country for four years.   

“If that is the case, they should admit that they made a mistake. It’s true that there have been massive issues over the last 75 years. 
Those who are responsible for at least half of these problems are the one making these comments now,” he said.