Misrepresentation of Sajith Premadasa's Speech on Proposed Debate with NPP

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Sajith Premadasa, the leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the opposition leader of Sri Lanka, has recently been targeted by a trend of altering his speeches. These manipulated speeches are being made viral on social media to tarnish his image.

Social Media Posts

Social media posts say Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa implied that tuition classes should be established more, and that is how the free education of the country can be developed.

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We decided to do a fact check on this.

Fact Check

Context and Verification

Using the InVID-We Verify search tool, we were able to locate the original video of Sajith Premadasa’s speech, which took place at an event at Medamulana Weeraketiya Central College. In this speech, Premadasa criticized the National People’s Power (NPP) party, stating they lack proper economic policies and experts. He sarcastically suggested that his party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), could offer tuition classes on economics to the NPP. This remark was made in a sarcastic manner and not as a serious proposal related to the country's educational policies.

Misrepresentation

Some social media users have altered Premadasa’s original statement to imply that he advocated for more tuition classes as a means to develop the country's free education system. This distorted version of his speech has been circulated widely, leading to misunderstandings among the public.

Background on the Political Context

This misrepresentation comes amid ongoing debates between the SJB and NPP regarding the format of their proposed debates. The SJB suggests that the economic councils of both parties should debate first, followed by a debate between the party leaders on another day. Conversely, the NPP proposes that the party leaders should debate first, followed by the economic debate.

With elections in Sri Lanka approaching, political tensions are high, and such misrepresentations can significantly influence public opinion.

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Conclusion

The claim that Sajith Premadasa advocated for more tuition classes as a development strategy for free education is false. The original context of his statement was a sarcastic comment about the NPP’s economic policies, not a genuine educational policy proposal. Social media users have misrepresented his words, creating a misleading narrative.For accurate information, always refer to verified sources and the full context of public statements.