'Social democracy'- the need

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

"We are the survivors of a deadly past," said Somapala Garusinghe recollecting unforgettable memories of his youth in 1971, being an active member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna(JVP). Garusinghe believes that they are alive today, 47 years after the JVP insurrection, was nothing short of a miracle.

Somapala Garusinghe

"The ideology we believed as youth was not realistic. It was this realisation that lead us to set up a collective titled the '71 Sansadaya'," said Somapala Garusinghe, who is the Secretary of the '71 Sansadaya'.

"We believe that socialism is not the answer. It is social democracy. In 1971, we were under the impression that Socialism could be established by force and we engaged in a struggle. The struggle taught us that the decision was wrong," he said, recollecting memories of the past, when he hid in the Ritigala forest reserve in the Anuradhapura district.

Haunting memories

These young men, who fought as members of the JVP, found the time to self confess. Haunting memories of dead brethren, pains of infected wounds, weakness and hunger and above all failure to achieve what they believed, made them realise that it was the right time to figure out the correct path, said Garusinghe who was in hiding for the longest period of time, being the leader of the this 'jungle group'. "The Government gazetted the highest bid for me, for a successful tip on my whereabouts. It was Rs.45,000 in 1971," Garusinghe said with a laugh.

On April 5, 1971 following the attacks on police stations, Garusinghe fled to the Ritigala junction with 36 members. While trying to flee to the Wilpattu forest from Ritigala, four of them were wounded with gun shots during a confrontation with the military and police. They had no medicine and no food. Conditions were turning from bad to worse and several contracted Malaria, he said.

Negative impact

"The pain was immense," said the 65-yea-old recalling his youth and the 'brothers' he still dearly miss, even today. "We felt the negative impact of our political decision and realised that it was wrong," he said. They survived in forests all over the country, for five years and nine months and then took different paths. But all 36 of them, survived. Despite the fact that I ended up at the Anuradhapura Police station in 1976 under a very understanding and professional Police Officer-in-Charge, Nalin Delgoda, many others faced difficulties. Some were sent to Hammenhiel Prison in Karainagar, some were imprisoned and some confessed," Garusinghe said, recalling every little detail of the painful past that lead them to realise the correct path.

When the same mistake was repeated in 1988-1989, these group of men now mature and seasoned, rose and spoke the truth and told the JVP and its leadership the decision they made were wrong.

Political vision

"We were die-hard members of the JVP and since the day we joined the party, we had freedom of speech. In 1988, because we spoke the truth, the JVP began pursuing us and once again I went into hiding," he said.

With the end of 1989 JVP insurrection, Garusinghe and many of his team mates returned to their original employment, teaching. It took some of them, another three decades to get together and ensure that the message was conveyed to the younger generation. Today, the '71 Sansadaya gathers r every year on April 5 to remember the dead, the painful memories and the lessons learnt from the 1971 insurgency.

"We are not a political party but we have an ideology and a political vision. We were young and energetic those days but now we are mature and old and have evolved through rough patches of life. We believe that to establish good governance and a comfortable society, socialism was impractical. It is a path the world had shed years ago. We must focus on social democracy," he said. Fortunately, he said many youth were more educated and aware of the social realities and global political trends.

"This is not a majority but is enough to make a change," he said.

"The '71 Sansadaya' has engaged in the current transformation, taking the country forward, based on the lessons we learnt. The younger generation must be guided and supported, to create a free and fair world of their own," Garusinghe said.

The '71 Sansadaya' will get together once again on April 5 at the Mahaweli Centre, Colombo 7 to carry this message forward.