Arrest of ex-president Ranil Wickremesinghe reveals sharp polarisation in Sri Lanka’s politics

The last two weeks of August may well have been the most eventful in Sri Lankan politics this year. Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who served as prime minister on six occasions and assumed the presidency at the height of the 2022 economic crisis – the worst since the country’s independence – was arrested on allegations of misusing state funds, imprisoned, then released on bail.

Before the verdict, Wickremesinghe told the media that these incidents had revealed “the real face of the present administration”.

The charges are serious. In September 2023, Wickremesinghe’s wife, a gender studies scholar, was conferred with an honorary professorship by the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom. While on his way back from Cuba, Wickremesinghe stopped by in London to attend the convocation.

The Sri Lankan government alleges that though he did so as a private citizen, he used state funds for the purpose – 1.6 crore Sri Lankan rupees or around 48.5 lakh Indian rupees.

Supporters of Wickremesinghe, including members of his United National Party, have defended the trip. They say that the invitation was to Wickremesinghe in his public capacity as Sri Lanka’s president. The university itself has more or less confirmed that this was the case.

Yet for a great many Sri Lankans, these arguments do not hold water. For them, Wickremesinghe’s...

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