Arguing that Sri Lanka required a "strong leader with backbone", he said the country needed a government led by a Buddhist monk from the Jana Setha Peramuna. A record of Sinhala nationalist agitationHis invocation of the LTTE's defeat as a model carries particular weight given what that defeat entailed. Seelarathana has a long record of Sinhala Buddhist nationalist campaigning. His party remains a marginal force in Sri Lankan politics. The Jana Setha Peramuna is a registered party with no parliamentary representation.