SLFP Convention on a grand scale

by Maithripala SIRISENA

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is holding its national convention today on a grand scale. The Convention is more important politically as well as nationally than its predecessors in the course of its past history of over five decades. As the General Secretary, I feel happy to account for the little national and political significance which the Convention carriers with it.

That our dear motherland which was torn asunder by the separatist terror could be reunited after warding off the scourge, is a landmark victory we have achieved. The victory we herald today was achieved on the premise, `Country First,’ when all countrymen together with the war heroes made tremendous sacrifice. President Mahinda Rajapaksa who spearheaded the three-decades old national crusade to safeguard the motherland is a true product of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

No other political personality was gifted with the finesse with which he marshalled the progressive forces to liquidate the terrorist menace. Consequently it gives us pride to be the humble member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party which gave birth to this distinguished leader.We see our supporters streaming into today’s Convention in their thousands sharing the very same ideals.

Formed in 1951 under the great leadership of the late S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike it took not more than a mere five years for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to secure a landslide victory in 1956. It is a very rare occurrence not only in the annals of Sri Lanka but that of the world as well. The SLFP came into being as a force well-fortified to face the challenge posed by the then politics in the country. After the 1948 National Independence, a challenge of that nature had emerged.

Despite the country winning its independence from the imperialists in 1948, the ruling elite which had the reins of power with it failed to make that independence more meaningful to the country. The ordinary masses of the country wanted it to be the true all-embracing economic, social and cultural independence which necessitated the creation of a political culture truly sensitive to the native aspirations and national ideology. The SLFP was therefore, created to take up this challenge which enabled it to be people-oriented and to form its broadest vote-base in the country whilst most of the post-independence political parties alienated themselves from the masses.

The SLFP which marshalled all patriotic forces in the country against the juggernaut of terrorism was well-fortified to face all future challenges under the leadership of our leader.

The theme of the National Convention is to convey to the country that our party is ready to take the lead in the post-war reconstruction initiative.

The SLFP has a multi-ethnic base and also an ideology of its own to organise politically. It is to its credit that the SLFP right through followed the philosophy of political middle path. Although the middle path politics looked prima facie simple, it is in practice harder and more difficult. It is politically more feasible to identify and also represent extremes and struggle for the sake of it.

Amidst a plethora of extremes, it is always difficult to arrive at middle path. It is through the arduous political exercises that our party could continue the middle path and conquer most of the political challenges in pursuit of victory.

In the post-reconstruction agenda priority is given to develop the country’s economy. The thirty-year-old civil war retarded the pace of economic resurgence. Had it not been for this calamity the country would have achieved a much higher economic progress. With the challenges posed by terrorism being muted, President Mahinda Rajapaksa reiterated recently that the government is committed to manage the economy on a national basis. Irrespective of the threat of total war looming large during the last few years, the preliminary work was undertaken to formulate a national economic base. It was due to our making the development drive the State policy, that we could effectively face the global economic and financial melt-down.As against the new neo-liberal economic order in which market forces have a bigger foothold we adhered to the policy of ensuring the level-playing field for the market, the state & the public alike.

Had we implemented the policies dictated by some of the neo-liberal economists and deprioritised agriculture, the country would have been struck with famine which is worse than the horrors of war. We however, gave priority for food security and launched a new national economic programme of revitalising and protecting fishermen, small scale industrialists and national level entrepreneurs as against the culture of growing roses prescribed by the neo-liberal economists.

It was “Api Wawamu, Rata Nagamu” agricultural policy that prevented us from totally depending on imports during the global economic turmoil, which is still in force.We have great self-confidence and grit to face the future development challenges due to our food security policy. Where necessary the government is ready to intervene in economic development initiatives. Our objective is to ensure that each one makes his contribution to the national economy. We are getting our party members to instil these sentiments into public minds. While increasing the productivity of cultivable lands, factories and services and pinning the personal responsibility on those in charge of such enterprises for better efficiency, our party is committed to mould a new socially-responsible citizen!

Our leader has conceived the vision to promote our economy so as to be an active partner of the new Asian Economic miracle!Our next challenge is post war reconstruction. The SLFP is a broad-based political entity at national level promoting such principles as equality, protecting right to citizenship and unity in diversity which eventually culminate in national independence.

Our post-war state policy on development and democratization has come to fruition. As a result, the SLFP has today turned to be the main political body representative of all communities.SLFP is a political organisation which produced political leaders to the country. Its past history bears testimony to its record performance in bravely fielding candidates for presidency even amidst grave calamities such depriving party leader Sirimavo Bandaranaike of her civic rights and terrorist insurgency of 1988-89.

What is more, the party fielded our leader Mahinda Rajapaksa for Presidency at a crucial time when the country was on the brink of being fragmented by the terrorists. We are a democratic party and we expect other parties too to conduct themselves democratically.Democracy is thriving in both Sri Lanka and India due to the pivotal role played by political parties and the readiness on the part of the party to accept political challenges.

Unlike the politically bankrupts who are apprehensive of elections our party with a very broad political base is always committed to preserve its democratic credentials. The gamut of SLFP politics is not merely confined to elections but it has its sole interest in the country’s posterity

The stature of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who gave unique leadership to the country in the face of multiple conspiracies, both domestic and foreign to dislodge the country is today well acknowledged by the party membership and as such all progressive forces are rallying round the party.

We are determined to accept the challenges posed by all local and global, social, political and economic constraints and make Sri Lanka a more prosperous, bountiful and friendly country.

Let the strength of our determination reach the four corners of the country.

The writer is the Minister of Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services and the General Secretary of the

Sri Lanka Freedom Party

(Translated by K. D. M. Kittampahuwa)