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Challenges for the Left in Sri Lanka
By Sunil Ratnapriya
[This talk was presented to the Asia Pacific Solidarity Conference, April 10-13, 1998, Sydney by Dr Sunil Ratnapriya, of the Nava Sama Samaja Party, Sri Lanka.]
The biggest challenge for the left in Sri Lanka today is to present a program for an alternative development model. This is also the challenge before the left in South Asia and the world left movement.
The capitalist United National Party governments which ruled Sri Lanka from 1977-1994 managed to break the backbone of the state-controlled sector of the economy and introduce the neo-liberal economic policies. The People's Alliance government, which comprises of populist Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Lanka Socialist Party, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka and a few other parties and which was elected with the promise of changing these policies, is now following the same policies and dictates of the World Bank and World Trade Organisation and the IMF to the letter.
The Alliance is propagating the idea that no developing country can manage without the assistance of the WB, WTO and the IMF. Hence there is lot of confusion among the left-oriented masses whether an alternate development model really exists and whether such a path of development is a practical reality.
It is therefore essential that a visible and practical proposal is placed before the working class and the general masses. The NSSP has presented a socio-economic program for a real development devoid of inflation and unemployment.
We have advocated tasks to be carried out under four headings:
1. Anti imperialist tasks
2. Completion of the rural agrarian revolution
3. The democratisation of society
4. Tasks of rational reunification
To achieve the above tasks the capitalist government should be overthrown and the entire production process should be replaced with one that is in harmony with nature and in which everybody can participate. It should be a system where women are not only emancipated but will become real leaders in the management of society. A non-authoritarian, peaceful society should be evolved which functions though a participatory management system. It is in such a society that there can be unity among all nationalities on the basis of the right of self-determination.
The existing state of Sri Lanka stands above the people as an instrument of repression. It has declared war on the Tamil people openly but carry out an undeclared war on the working class and the Sinhala masses. The challenge before the left is to evolve a state structure and system of elections which serve the ordinary masses.
The country is divided into two parts as a result of the war being carried out against the Tamil-speaking people. Capitalist governments failed again and again to resolve this issue. It is a challenge before the left to declare in no uncertain terms their stand on the national question and openly defend this position.
The NSSP's stand on the national question is as follows:
1. Equality of all citizens (all racial, religious and communal discrimination should stop)
2. Autonomy for regions (every distinct set of people have the right to govern themselves)
3. Right of self-determination (acceptance of the right of every nation over its own destiny, unity should be entirely on a voluntary basis)
On this basis we have put forward the following program to resolve the N-E conflict.
1. Right of secession be included in the constitution in order to make it absolutely clear that unity is based on voluntary decision of both parties. That will express very clearly the inalienate right of the Sri Lankan Tamils to a homeland in this country. Also, it means that no-one dominates and that there is an unenforced, uncoaxed and ungrudging unity.
2. Equality and an end to the discrimination in citizenship, jobs, education, land allocation, etc. and particularly in the national armed forces. Granting of citizenship to all Kandian Tamils.
3. Autonomy for Tamil-speaking areas with power over regional security or police functions, colonisation and education etc. Home guards for minorities in other areas.
4. Right to use Tamil in dealing with the Central Government.
5. Fair share of national income to develop Tamil areas.
Having stated the challenges before the left in taking a clear stand on the on the issues faced by the Sri Lankan people. I want to now turn towards the practical questions the Left faces in organising a mass movement to take the struggle forward.
It is essential to evolve a proper organisational structure and creative strategies necessary to build up the revolutionary party and the mass movement to push the struggle forward in the new period.
A key aspect here would be to coordinate the struggle waged by the urban working class and the struggles waged by the forces of rural development and national liberation. At a national level, the NSSP has attempted to evolve a program to build up a Left Alternative and coordinate the struggle with national liberation movements, the student and youth-based movements like the JVP and reformist currents within the people's alliance government who are prepared to break away from the government.
At a world level, and also at a regional level, we feel there is an urgent need to bring together the anti-capitalist groups. We have to take into account the decomposition of the working class movement and the mass movement as a result of the double failure of social democracy and the Soviet system.
We are for a regroupment of forces determined to learn the historical lessons of the past and are ready to fight against capitalism and imperialism.
In Sri Lanka, our proposal is to evolve a kind of a common program which can win the widest effective support. We remain committed to the coming together of trade unions political groups, intellectuals, NGOs, peasant groups and youth organisations in a unified campaign against the IMF/WB policies and the racist war in the north which in the final analysis is dictated by imperialism.
We have been able to bring together almost all the trade unions in sectors affected by privatisation, peasants, fisherman, and political groups of the far left.
Today we have managed to come together as a New Left Front and are ready to evolve it as a new political party to carry the struggle forward. Measures are being taken to enrol this front as a recognised political party to contest the elections. It is proposed to announce the formation of the new front on April 22.
The NSSP, United Socialist Party, New Democratic Party. Diyasa Educational Circle, Muslim United Liberation Front, are some of the organisations that would be involved in the formation of the front.
We have appealed to the left of the People's Alliance -- the parties of the governing alliance -- and to those who protest from within to join us. They say they will participate on an issue basis but cannot join in the campaign which is against the war in the north. In effect these forces are willing to campaign against the IMF and the WB policies in the south but not against the genocidal war. Some trade unions, youth groups and NGOs close to PA affiliates have broken away and joined our campaign.
The challenge before the left is to develop an alliance with the JVP and the youth and the student movement. JVP is the group responsible for the insurrections that broke out in 1971 and in the period of 1987-89 in the south. JVP is a movement based on the underdevelopment of the rural village. Both insurrections of the JVP were nationalist uprisings though they prominently raised social issues. They claim to be Marxist. Yet sometimes racist currents dominate their ideology. Sometimes they join us and the campaign against nationalist ideology. Yet at times they get swayed by the racist currents.
They also do not want to join in a unified campaign. They have not been willing to join the trade unions, ex-JVP groups and the NGOs in the mass protest movement. However, they have participated in joint protest campaigns against privatisation and the war in the north organised by our trade unions. Students unions controlled by the JVP constantly invite us for political debates. Dr Wickramabahu, the NSSP leader and myself attended the party congress of the JVP held in May 1995, the first such congress to be held after the insurrection in 1989. Massive educational cuts have been proposed by the government and it is necessary to develop a joint campaign around this issue with the JVP.
The key national issue today is putting an end to the genocidal war in the North and granting self-autonomy for the Tamil-speaking people. It is essential that the left basing themselves on the position mentioned previously co-ordinate their struggle with main organisations fighting for the liberation of the Tamil people.
We characterise the LTTE as a Tamil nationalist party based mainly on poor peasants and fishermen with support from some radical sections of the Tamil labour force. We have many differences with them including the way terror is used as a weapon of struggle. Yet, we recognise their program as one of national freedom.
They like to try to rely exclusively on their own resources. Now they seem to accept that some kind of solidarity is needed beyond their community to push the struggle forward. They have now realised that their enemy has the active backing of imperialism and that the working class should be considered as a friendly force.
Pro-independence groups in Australia and Britain invited our party to participate in the public meetings to discuss the Tamil liberation struggle. I participated in such a meeting held in Australia and Dr Wickramabahu participated in a meeting held in Britain.
At these meetings we have argued that the Tamil liberation struggle can only be successful to the extent that it joins hand with the working class in Sri Lanka and internationally. The challenge is to convince the Tamil liberation movement and the working class in the Sinhala areas to come together in this struggle. This is the only way to put an end to the war and pave the way for the country's unification.
In this situation workers and democratic organisations and the left parties have continued to come out in protest against the government's policies. The parties of the New Left Front are hoping to offer practical policies to take the country forward and build up the necessary forces to realise the same.