Viral Video Misrepresents Sajith Premadasa's Response to a Question About Not Accepting the Presidency in 2022

As the Sri Lankan presidential elections approach, we have noticed a surge of social media posts that alter and misrepresent speeches by opposition leader and SJB presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa. These posts often manipulate Sajith’s statements out of context to mislead the public about his political stance and actions. This spread of misinformation aims to influence voter perceptions ahead of the upcoming election.

Social Media Posts

A video circulating on social media suggests that opposition leader Sajith Premadasa avoided answering a critical question posed by a young girl during a recent event. The viral clip shows a girl questioning Premadasa about his decision not to accept the presidency when the country was in an economic crisis in 2022. She asks if Sajith would flee from responsibility if faced with a similar situation in the future as the president.

The video is followed by a remark from Premadasa, taken from a different event where he was speaking in Japanese and portrayed sarcastically. The remark implies that Sajith did not address the girl's question.

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We decided to do a fact-check on this.

Fact Check

We investigated the original video, which is available on NewsFirst's YouTube channel. The video captures an event where a group of young people, including the girl in question, engaged in a discussion with Sajith Premadasa. Contrary to the claims being spread, the footage clearly shows that Premadasa responded directly to the girl's question. (From 1st minute mark onwards)

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What Did Sajith Premadasa Say?

In his response, Premadasa explained that he declined the presidency in 2022 because he did not have the people's mandate to lead the country during that crisis. He emphasised that accepting the presidency without such a mandate would have been undemocratic.

Premadasa states that by accepting the presidency, the current president has become a protector of the Rajapaksa’s. Furthermore, Sajith says that under such a setup, had he accepted the responsibility of leading the government, he would have had to get the support of the very majority in the parliament, who were responsible for taking the country to bankruptcy, which was against his principles.

Therefore, far from avoiding responsibility, Premadasa's response highlighted his belief in the importance of public support and legitimacy when assuming leadership during a critical period.

Misleading Use of Edited Footage:

The viral video has been edited to misrepresent Premadasa's response. After the girl asks her question, the video cuts to a statement from Premadasa, where he speaks out a few sentences in Japanese, originally made during a different event — the "Sakwala" initiative held in a school. The insertion of this unrelated footage, in a satirical manner, implies that Premadasa dodged the question when, in fact, Sajith provided a clear answer.

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Conclusion:

The viral video circulating on social media falsely portrays Sajith Premadasa as avoiding a crucial question about his decision not to accept the presidency in 2022. The original, unedited footage reveals that Premadasa responded directly, explaining his stance on leadership and the need for a democratic mandate. The viral post's use of an out-of-context clip from another event is misleading and designed to misinform viewers.