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| Sunday, 21 March 2004 |
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Realising goals of social democracy Christian Workers Fellowship (CWF) statement on the coming general election The events of November 3rd and 4th were the culmination of the extremely critical development in the two years of United National Front (UNF) Government. It triggered President Chandrika Kumaratunga's take-over of three Ministries including that of Defence in terms of the country's Constitution on the stated ground of preventing further deterioration of the security situation and resulted in a political tug-of-war between the Cabinet of Ministers led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Executive President. It had to end in the dissolution of Parliament and with a General Election fixed for April 2nd, 2004. This became inevitable after the reluctance of the Prime Minister for over 3 months to arrive at a workable compromise with the President to carry on the Government and with it the peace negotiations. Interplay of social forces There were powerful social forces impelling the President to resolve the stalemate by securing a fresh mandate from the people on this as well as on the United National Front's record for its two years governance. This included the economic discontent of the people resulting from the increasing poverty of the working class, certain middle class sections and the broad rural masses and the new labour regulations introduced and nearly imposed upon the working people under the IMF- World Bank policies titled "Regaining Sri Lanka" (in the interests of US led Imperialism). So also the UNF Government's capitulationist policies in relation to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the two-year peace negotiations which had led to the consolidation of the Tiger hold on territory in the North and East accompanied by their systematic oppression of the people - Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese. This includes the exaction of 'taxes', recruitment of child soldiers and killing of political opponents. As a result, the social forces gathering momentum in the country behind the "Eksat Janata Nidahas Sandanaya" (United People's Freedom Alliance- UPFA) are basically anti-UNP, anti-colonialist, anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist and bear some resemblance to the forces which ushered in the electoral revolution of 1956 which swept the Mahajana Eksat Peramuna led by SWRD Bandaranaike into power. Significantly the use of the term "Pancha Maha Pratipatti" (Five Great Principles) more or less reflects the "Pancha Maha Balavegaya" (Five Great Forces) of the 1956 electoral upheaval. The appeal both in 1956 and today is to safeguard the national economy, culture and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. We have in our May Day message last year already pin-pointed the danger of our country being reduced into a plaything of foreign imperialist interests with their local compradore elites and even into a virtual colony of the USA. In this sense, the present anti-imperialist, anti-UNP build-up that is emerging has to be actively supported as being progressive in its content. Important however are the historical events since 1956 that have created a different situation in 2004. These include the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact of 1958 to solve the burning problems of the Tamil people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces by a modified system of federal administration which was prevented by the Buddhist clergy. Also the Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act promulgated by the National Government (1965-70) which virtually gave parity of status to Sinhala and Tamil as official languages. The United Front Government attempted to create a socialist oriented planned economy with State controls in 1970-75. Its dismantling began after 1977 with the 'Open Economy' policies pursued by J. R Jayewardene and his successors under the bizarre autocratic Presidential Constitution of 1978. The crushing of the workers' movement in 1980 and the Government sponsored anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983 that provoked the LTTE's Eelam war (1983 - 2002) - all such factors need to be taken into account in understanding the present inter-play of social forces. Discontent and disenchantment The acute discontent of the majority Sinhala Buddhist masses suffering still from the consequences of their oppression under colonial rule (1815-1948) and their aspirations as recognised by the UPFA, demand our unconditional support. Some of this discontent and anger is also manifested in the contest of all electoral districts by certain Buddhist clergy banded together in the Hela Urumaya, thus unfortunately diverting the attention of the people from focusing on the main struggle. Furthermore, the apparent similarity to 1956 ends with the new situation in 2004, because a distorted electoral system of proportional representation will not permit an overwhelming majority for either party at the polls. It is vitally important therefore that voters should be positive in their approach to the new forces that have emerged in the period 1956-2004 now mostly represented in the UPFA and ensure that the new Alliance should be brought to power with a decisive majority. While there is disenchantment with the policies followed by the former People's Alliance regime from 1994 to 2001 under IMF-World Bank pressures (even if reluctantly pursued by it to obtain funds in marked contrast to the wholehearted commitment to such policies by the UNF Government), the policies envisaged by the new Alliance with the radical Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) in its ranks would necessarily have to be more critical and vigilant of imperialist objectives. It is necessary to remember also that the JVP of today in its positions and leadership is somewhat different from that of the 1971 and 1988-89 periods and having entered the mainstream of democratic parliamentary processes more recently, their conduct since has been above reproach. As regards the vitally important peace negotiations and the political resolution of the ethnic conflict, despite the differences between the two major parties to the Alliance -the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the JVP, the collaboration in the Alliance today of the traditional Left - the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) will undoubtedly contribute towards a just and rational approach to resolve the issue. It is heartening to note that the Freedom Alliance is firmly committed to a political resolution of the national question through dialogue and negotiation as stated in its manifesto. We can take comfort too in the fact that in regard to the politics of the North, V Anandasangari, President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) now bravely heads an independent list at the polls which challenges the hegemony of the LTTE through its parliamentary puppets of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and stands for a pluralist and democratic society for the Tamil people of the North. And this despite all attempts of the LTTE to pressurise, terrorise and even assassinate Tamil candidates at the Election who dared to defy its dictates and thus make a mockery of parliamentary democracy. It must be noted however that the Tigers have shrewdly refrained from taking sides in the southern political power-struggle and have stated that they would continue peace negotiations with whoever secures power. Our tasks The abject servility of the UNF Government to US Imperialism is demonstrated by the performance of our Prime Minister recently at the United Nations General Assembly and the behaviour of the Government delegation at the Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at Cancun when they supported the leading capitalist countries led by the USA and defeated the efforts of the 22 countries led by China, India, South Africa and Brazil that espoused the cause of the Third World, all in the hope of getting massive loan aid to implement "economic reforms" so detrimental to our national interests in terms of the "Regaining Sri Lanka " programme. This needs to be resisted on the basis of a new alternative programme and ensured by the defeat of the UNF at the polls. The way forward for the masses is clearly (a) the pursuit of a National Consensus on the People's aspirations for Peace, Economic Growth and Prosperity and (b) the repudiation of the negative aspects of capitalist globalisation. In these circumstances, we would urge the voters to consider carefully the Manifesto of the newly formed United People's Freedom Alliance and vote them to power as an immediate step towards the realisation of the goals of Sri Lankan Social Democracy. When voting for a party list however it is important that those selected should be Left or progressive and be free of corruption. We should ensure that people of moral calibre enter our legislature. |
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