By Adolf
Ranil Wickremesinghe is currently languishing in jail for taking security officers on a visit to London. His Private Secretary, Sandra, described it as a personal trip, which led the judge to order his remand. Former Foreign Minister and President’s Counsel Ali Sabry has dismissed the allegations as political vendetta, arguing that there is no misuse of public funds when a sitting President travels under official security and protocol.
Sabry stressed that every President, including the incumbent, is entitled to police and security protection whether travel is official or private. “A sitting President doesn’t have a public and private life when it comes to security, health, and protocol. That is true for the incumbent President as well. When he campaigned for the NPP during the General Elections and Local Government elections, how did he travel? Wasn’t he protected by the police and security forces? He should be, because he is our President, whether he is my favorite or not,” he pointed out. Against this backdrop, it is worth recalling the foreign travel records of past presidents.
Mahinda Rajapaksa (2005–2015)
Rajapaksa traveled abroad more frequently than any of his predecessors. His foreign visits were high-profile and often drew attention for the size of delegations, the luxury with which they were conducted, and the large expenditure of public funds.
– Large entourages: Often included family members, political allies, and private associates, far beyond what protocol required.
– Major events: For CHOGM or UN General Assembly sessions, delegations reportedly ran into the hundreds, straining taxpayer resources.
– High costs: Official visits involved luxury hotels and chartered flights.
Critics frequently noted that some trips doubled as family holidays or personal excursions, blurring the line between state business and private indulgence.
Chandrika Kumaratunga and Maithripala Sirisena
Both Chandrika and Sirisena also made private visits with full security detail, as protocol demanded. Sirisena, notably, was on a private visit to Singapore during the Easter Sunday attacks, drawing heavy criticism for being absent at a critical national moment.
The Current President
The sitting President AKD has visited Germany to meet the Foreign Minister and the diaspora, and more recently traveled to Vietnam, returning on a private jet. These trips, too, have raised questions on cost and necessity.
Conclusion
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decade of travel symbolized a presidency marked by grandeur and excess, while other leaders also blended official and private travel under full security cover. The reality is that every Sri Lankan President has traveled abroad at public expense, whether on state business or private matters. The irony, critics argue, is that prosecutors today ignore the long history of excesses by previous presidents and instead target Ranil Wickremesinghe. The question remains: why single him out? What is the message to the world?
