During the 2004 General Elections, Milinda’s campaign consisted of intensive rounds of small election meetings held throughout the Colombo District. In these meetings he would speak for only a few minutes and spend the rest of the time answering questions and listening to those he met. This was in accordance with his belief that campaigns were not meant for musical entertainment, long speeches and false promises but were a time for communicating ones vision and stand on issues to the electorate, so that voters could make an informed choice at the polls. To reach as many people as possible, he also set up a call centre manned by dedicated campaign workers who telephoned Colombo District residents with a pre-recorded message from Milinda and providing them with an opportunity to voice their complaints, suggestions or comments. Before launching his campaign he along with all his campaign supporters participated in a public ceremony in which they took a pledge to abide by all electoral laws. As with his first campaign, Milinda used many innovative techniques to reach out directly to the people and was in many ways responsible for helping create a less confrontational political atmosphere during election periods.

He began a second series of informal discussions with ordinary people, this time traveling to several rural villages throughout the country. These dialogues were telecast on the television series Gamin Gamata (Village to Village). From these discussions, it became apparent to him that society was undergoing a serious questioning of its own values. Society was undergoing an identity crisis stemming from a breakdown of ethical and spiritual values due to the protracted period of social divisiveness and societal breakdown engendered by the conflict which had festered for over 25 years. In his belief that the key to the problem was the nurturing and revival of positive spiritual values which were inclusive rather than exclusive, he embarked upon a series of dialogues with respected and learned religious leaders to encourage an open discussion of religion, particularly of Buddhism. These discussions were telecast on his programme Urumayaka Ulpath (Sources of Our Heritage).

At the same time, Milinda has been focusing his energies on fostering civic participation in politics at a local level as he feels this is vital for any democratic society. To remind the public that there was a time when politics did not divide and civility prevailed, he took as his mascots JR Jayawardene and Bernard Soysa who though from diametrically opposite ends of the political spectrum were able to work together in Colombo South, the electorate they jointly represented for almost 20 years. The area of Colombo South corresponds to the areas of Colombo East and Colombo West which Milinda represents as UNP Chief Organizer.

As part of his efforts to recognize and give due credit to dedicated service, hard work and party loyalty, in September 2005 Milinda founded the JR Jayawardene Colombo South Trust. The Trust provides party workers who have devoted long years of service to the UNP with a small monthly stipend. In addition, he has begun the process of reviving the UNP’s Sinhala newspaper Siyarata and its English counterpart, The Journal.

Milinda continues to work in his capacity as Opposition MP towards bringing about constructive change for all Sri Lankans. Through many initiatives and organizations, he also continues to promote the ideas of an open economy and to strengthen the organs of civil society.