The United National Party will commemorate its 75th Anniversary on Monday.
The diamond jubilee celebrations will however be held at the UNP headquarters Sirikotha on Sunday evening.
The UNP has announced that it will conduct a virtual summit on Sunday, considering the prevailing coronavirus situation in the country.
Leader of the UNP former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is due to address party activists and the general public on Sunday.
The National Plan for the Building of Sri Lanka will be unveiled at the 75th Anniversary celebrations of the Party.
UNP Leader Wickremesinghe’s address and other anniversary commemorative events will be broadcast live on YouTube, Facebook and on zoom from 5pm on Sunday.
Several other events have also been organized to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the UNP.
The UNP was founded on the 6th of September 1946 by Don Stephen Senanayake, who later became the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
The UNP had been the governing party from 1947 to 1956, from 1965 to 1970, from 1977 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, and 2015 to 2019.
The UNP had control of the Executive Presidency for 16 years from 1978 to 1994.
The UNP is considered as a center-right party, opting for a neo-liberal market-oriented economy which introduced the open economy concept to Sri Lanka in 1977.
Over the years, UNP’s leadership had adopted people-oriented policies on agriculture, power-generation and infrastructure development.
It opened up the economy, thereby putting an end to excruciating and artificial shortages of articles of common use. It launched the “Swarnabhoomi” land grants program, and the “Mahapola” educational scheme.
The UNP also introduced the Million Houses program, launched the “Gam Udawa” “Janasaviya”, and the “200 garments factories” program.
It also decentralized the administration, which appealed to the masses, especially at the grassroots level.
During the UNP-led administration between 2015 and 2019, the 19th amendment to the constitution was enacted while the Right to Information Act was also passed.
Several social and development projects including the Suwa Seriya ambulance service were introduced when the UNP governed the country during the 2015-2019 period.
The party despite an electoral setback in 2020 is continuing to flourish and living up to its strong grassroots, while upholding the traditions of the UNP.
The United National Party constantly strived to stand up for sovereignty, strong national defense, national unity, free enterprise, and individual achievement, empowering all citizens, regardless of background, to achieve their dreams in a safe, healthy, and prosperous country.
Meanwhile, UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena said the National Plan for the Building of Sri Lanka will be unveiled at the 75th Anniversary celebrations and it will cover all sectors of the country, based on key issues such as economic security, health care, environmental protection and knowledge security.
