Sri Lanka, Sept. 10 -- When the United National Party (UNP) celebrated its 80th anniversary last Sunday, it did not appear that anyone considered it a major political event in the country.

Had they been in power, the event would have been the lead story in many national newspapers the next day, but this time media attention on it seemed to be insignificant.

The UNP is a party that deeply impacted Sri Lankan history. When Sri Lanka gained independence from the British in 1948, power was transferred from the British to the UNP. It was such a powerful force in the past that it secured a five-sixths majority in Parliament in 1977, making it the only party which set that record. The UNP is the mother of Sri Lankan capitalist parties.

How...