His JVP colleagues recognise Dissanayake’s ability to put his nose to the ground and work towards the end goal. A former JVP legislator who entered parliament with Dissanayake in 2000 says, “AKD has dogged determination. He is true to his cause and extremely grounded.”In a political career spanning over 35 years, Dissanayake, commonly referred to as AKD, his initials, that determination is impossible to miss. Student politics has given way to a 24-year stint as a legislator. In 1995, he became a JVP politbureau member. From 2004-2005, he held the cabinet portfolio of a coalition government between President Chandrika Kumaratunge’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the JVP. In 2014, Dissanayake replaced Somawansa Amarasinghe as the party’s next leader. He also served as Chief Opposition Whip from 2015 to 2018.Dissanayake is credited for working tirelessly to improve the JVP’s image, a party responsible for two southern uprisings in 1971 and 1987-1989 that had left an indelible imprint on the public psyche. Even his detractors agree that Dissanayake has given his best to modernise the political party that was once outlawed and feared by a section of the public.When Sri Lanka experienced an unprecedented economic crisis in 2022 and spurred public protests, the ground began to shift swiftly in favour of the JVP. By then, the JVP had formed a broad coalition, the National People’s Power (NPP), also led by Dissanayake. The public anger against family rule, grand corruption, the economic hardships and governance collapse had prepared the country for a different political experience.Prior to the September 21 presidential hustings, opinion polls recognised Dissanayake as the country’s most trusted politician at a time when politicians were anathema to the people. Part anti-corruption crusader and part reformist, the village lad shattered the 76 years of elite politics by becoming the island’s 10th president last week.
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