Ranil Wickremasinghe is the Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka, party leader of the United National Party (UNP) since 1994 and for the up-coming parliamentary elections, head of the United National Front alliance.
In this interview, Mr. Wickremasinghe both answers and dodges questions about the challenges to his leadership within the party, the acceptance of the UNP and its policies amongst voters, his ability to communicate policy, lessons learnt from his stint as Prime Minister from 2001 – 2004 and any regrets during or after the time of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). He is also asked for his opinion of a war crimes tribunal and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, plus views on developing the North and East in a manner different to that which is proposed by the incumbent government.
My final question to him is whether he believes in astrology, the practice of which can get one arrested in Sri Lanka.
Watch a complementary interview in Sinhala with Mr. Wickremasinghe here.