The pathetic capitulation of the organised Left in Sri Lanka (Updated with statement from Leftist leaders)
Repost This ArticleOrganised Left parties in 2005,
“THE Group of Five Left Parties (Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Communist Party of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Mahajana Party, Desha Vimukthi Janatha Party and Democratic Left Front) consider that the Manifesto of Presidential Candidate – Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse titled “Mahinda Chinthana” a pro-people manifesto, although these parties have certain reservations in regard to some of its contents, the parties said in a statement issued yesterday. The statement said: “The Five Left Parties are specially appreciative of the pledges contained in the “Mahinda Chinthana” in respect of strengthening democracy. The commitment to abolish the executive presidential system and to draft a new constitution is one of its important aspects.”
Emphasis ours. Vasudeva Nanayakkara in May 2010,
“The socialist parties are opposed to the rescinding of the constitutional restriction for an incumbent president to contest for more than two terms. The Common Left Front comprising the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), Sri Lanka Communist Party (SLCP) and the Democratic Left Front (DLF) will hold a seminar at the National Library Association Auditorium on May 31 to discuss their proposals. DLF leader and parliamentarian Vasudeva Nanayakkara said yesterday the Common Front would propose the setting up of the post of an executive prime minister to replace that of the executive presidency.”
Emphasis ours. Vasudeva Nanayakkara in June 2010,
“Meanwhile ruling party parliamentarian Vasudeva Nanayakkara said that he will oppose any move to strengthen the executive presidency. He said that he has always opposed the executive presidency. Responding to a question Nanayakkara said that moves that would enable the president to seek another term will be opposed while being with the government.”
Vasudeva Nanayakkara on Ada Derana, a few days ago,
“The Leftist parties’ opposition to the proposed Constitutional Amendments are the same as to their opposition to the 1978 Constitution, Democratic Leftist Front General Secretary and United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Parliamentarian Vasudeva Nanayakkara told Adaderana a short while ago.”
Vasudeva Nanayakkara in Daily Mirror, today,
“Left parties in the government decided a short while ago to vote for the 18th Amendment despite some disagreements over the proposals, Leftist MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara told Daily Mirror.”
What changed? How could a senior citizen and political activist like Mr. Nanayakkara support an amendment  so heinous as the proposed 18th Amendment? As Qadri Ismail notes,
“On the national question, however, the organized left, with the rare exception of a Vickremabahu Karunaratne or Sarath Muttetuwegama, has been a paragon of complicity with Sinhala nationalism. It bears iteration that the same Colvin R de Silva, who said with astute prescience in 1956, that establishing Sinhala as the only official language would lead to separatism, sixteen years later effectively instituted Buddhism as the state religion.”
An interview conducted with Mr. Nanayakkara in April 2009 is embedded below.
Update, 7 September 2010: The Editors of Groundviews were emailed the following statement today.
We condemn the decision of the executive committee of the Socialist Alliance to vote in favour of the18th amendment ignoring the decision of two of its constituent parties at the highest level, the Political Bureau of the Lanka Samasamaja Party and the Central Committee of the Democratic Left Front not to participate in the voting. The opportunistic nature of this decision is clear from Vasudeva Nanayakara’s statement to the media that they are opposed to the contents of the amendment but will vote for it. What logic!
The pronouncement of the Socialist Alliance is a decision to support a move towards establishing an authoritarian regime. This is a betrayal of all what the Left has stood and fought for under trying circumstances for many decades. The opportunist and self-serving leaders of the Socialist Alliance now stand exposed and we call upon the progressive forces to oppose the 18th Amendment and to fight against the establishment of an authoritarian state, by united action with all who stand against this menace.
Signed by:
- Asoka Weerasinghe De Silva (LSSP Treasurer and Political Bureau member)
- Wimal Rodrigo (LSSP Deputy Secretary and Political Bureau member)
- Lal Wijenayake (LSSP Political Bureau member)
- Percy Wickramasekera (LSSP Political Bureau member)
- Vijay Kumar (LSSP Political Bureau member and President, Lanka Estate Workers’ Union)
- Jayampathy Wickramaratne (LSSP Political Bureau member)
- TM Raseedin (LSSP CC member and President, Ceylon Federation of Labour)
- Chameera Perera (LSSP CC member and Secretary, Samasamaja Youth League Federation)
- Helaruwan Senaratne (LSSP CC member)
- ASM Farook (LSSP CC member)
- Jude Lester (LSSP CC member)
- Walter Wilegoda (DLF Ex Co member, Treasurer and CC member)
- Quintus Liyanage (DLF ExCo member, National Secretary and CC member)
- Kumar David (DLF CC member)
- Lankaloka (DLF ExCo and CC member)
- Dilshan Dharmasena (DLF CC member)
- Chandrapala (DLF CC observer)
The last time I had a chance to vote in Sri Lanka was the 1982 Presidential elections. If I remember right, VN contesting against JRJ scored his highest, about 2000, in the Jaffna district. He spoke rather sensible things in SL politics. I guess my 1999 fellow Jaffnese will also hang their heads in shame like I am doing right now. Pathetic indeed!
Well done Left! I hope more political groups support the 18th amendment. I’m confident it will see the light of day.
Hello Groundviews,
Congratulations on your posting “The pathetic capitulation of the organised Left in Sri Lanka”, though I would qualify it by saying that it should have been ‘some of the organised left in Sri Lanka’ . As a keen follower of the political and social events of Sri Lanka, I have a mild grouse against Groundviews in omitting the name of Siritunga Jayasuriya of United Socialist Party who is consistently unequivocal in his views on the National Question and on the issue of the abolition of the Presidency in Sri Lanka.
I hope I am not intruding into your private realm of left politics in Sri Lanka.
I think the genuine left and democratic forces in Sri Lanka will rally round unitedly for a long drawn battle to restore genuine democracy and participatory justice to all the nationalities of the Island country.
Wishing you all -With Solidarity & fraternal greetings,
Gummla
New Socialist Alternative
newsocialist@dataone.in
Why we continue to call the “Left “parties? It seems that they have left the “Left” parties long ago. As I always called them, they are “Radical SLFPers”. Better that they go and be with the SLFP. They can then ‘do’ some work ‘for the people’, as they usually say. It is good for them also, as they have no extra tensions or extra explanations or discussions on these kinds of matters.
So, to be clear, at least in the future, do not call them ‘Left’ parties. They are something else, which only they understand, but nobody else.
Lalith Abeysinghe
“They know very well what they are doing. But, they are still doing it”. This is the dominant ideology in the neo-liberal capitalism, according to Slavoj Zizek. The “Old Leftist leaders” in Sri Lanka are now saying that they are against the content of the 18th amendment but they are still supporting it!! They have already left the Left my friends!!!
“And what about my good friend Honourable Vasudeva Nanayakkara? For a brief moment we deluded ourselves into thinking that perhaps the leftists had some conscience left in them. But, alas, they too have gone the way of their departed leader Dr Colvin R de Silva, who having prophesied in 1956 that a single language policy will lead to separatism in this country, was the very person who drafted the 1972 Constitution that gave to Sinhala the status as the only official language for the first time in the Constitution, and as if that was not enough, gave to Buddhism the foremost place to the exception of all other religions. It is perverse to say that we are opposed to this in principle but will vote for it! Principles don’t matter to many people in this country any more. If not will we see this sad spectacle of so many back-stabbings and defections from the UNP? Surely the consideration for this mass movement cannot be principles.”
From address by Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran on September 8th 2010 during Parliamentary debate on the 18th amendment to the Constitution, http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/09/18th_constitutional_amendmenth.html
LSSP statement on the 18th Amendment to the Constitution by Tissa Vitarana – http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2010/09/priority-to-win-economic-war-to.html
“The timeline… reflects both the genesis of the heinous 18th Amendment and also the occasions mainstream press reported that the President attended / “visited” Parliament.
It was no easy task to compile this. Only a handful ordinary citizens would have the expertise to search for this information online, or elsewhere. There is no easy record retrieval of the President’s attendance in Parliament on its official website. But what is immediately obvious when the scattered media reports are taken as a whole is that the 18th Amendment has in no way at all contributed to a more accountable Executive. ”
Excerpt from ‘Months after the 18th Amendment: Is the Executive really more accountable to Parliament?’, http://groundviews.org/2011/06/11/months-after-the-18th-amendment-is-the-executive-really-more-accountable-to-parliament/