“We were in alliances with big parties. According to them, we are small parties. Gentlemen, remember the date ‘September 04’. When we finish the work we started, the “big people” will be crushed and the “small people” will be made bigger by the people of this country. It does not happen inside the offices of big parties. In the minds of the common people. We will accept that challenge. The great brave tree that stands tall with the big ones was planted today. We will make it the big tree in the future.” Wimal Weerawansa, its chairman, said mobilizing the Northern Lanka Coalition
He said this while addressing the inaugural general meeting of the Uttara Lanka Coalition which was held today (04) at the Maharagama Youth Service Council premises.
The Weerawansa member of parliament who spoke further said:
The most important state
“When we examine the history, it can be seen that we have faced severe crises once in 500 years. 2022 is the 5000th anniversary of the Portuguese invasion. This year has been the year in which this charity has had to face enormous challenges, be it in the form of history or otherwise. A country whose location is worth more than its square miles faces invasions or challenges once every 500 years.
That is why the Chola, Pandya, Kerala, Portuguese, Dutch and English invaders took over this country. When the trade of all these people was strong, this land was the land with the desired ports. Because the sun shines 365 days, because it is located near the equator, because it is a country with the least gravity, delicious, rich spices were grown. Because of this land, because gold, silver, and pearls were in this land, because of this state, the most important state that cannot be ignored on the Silk Road, we had to face constant enemy attacks.
Energy crisis-food crisis
But our history of about 2500 years tells us that every time we fall, we get up with a better condition than before we fell. It is the same this time. Today we have fallen as a country. Not only us, but on a global scale, today’s powerful countries are also in crisis. In Europe, inflation is usually between 3% and 4%. But today’s inflation in those countries has risen to 8% – 9%.
The other day, the mayor of London told the citizens, ‘In the coming cold weather, you have to choose either energy. Or food, maybe you will have to do without both.’ The words energy crisis and food crisis are the main discussion in Europe today. The grim picture that the coming winter will be a terrible winter has already been created. Bulgaria sends firewood to Europe for the winter. But now they have stopped sending firewood to Europe saying ‘we will run out of firewood’. Today, the entire world is in the midst of a crisis.
Abortion of the newborn
Today there is a world that has been hit by the Covid crisis. With the creation of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, with the way the NATO countries responded to it, today the power of the world is gradually shifting to a different hand. We are in a transformative moment today. When we are going from one situation to another situation, when a social surgery is going on, when a new birth is being carried in the womb, some people try to abort that birth. Abort the new birth and continue the old birth.
From the hands of the wicked to the hands of the righteous…
Today, we are establishing this Northern Lanka Coalition to give the necessary strength for the new birth of a proud Sri Lanka, growing in the womb of historical circumstances, and not to be the representatives of the party that prevents that birth. Therefore, we believe that in this era of transformation, the politics that existed so far will die out. Conservative, traditional politics is dying out. This era of transformation ends with the transfer of the helm of governance from the hands of the Durjanas to the hands of the Sajjanai and not the other way around.
See in a new way
We should be able to look at this country in a new way. People’s society and governance should be one, not two. We cannot face this great set of challenges unless we have a united people’s society and government. Today’s youth
Request system change. There is a breakdown everywhere. Today, new methods are being introduced to government institutions. But after a week they break. When trying to install CCTV cameras at the airport, some people in the customs are opposing it. So they are not loud.
A grand political alliance
This country cannot move forward with the mentality of digging a hole by putting fences on the wrong things. Today this country needs a political leadership that can take steps to correct mistakes when they see them. Otherwise, it is not a political leadership that cares about mistakes. Today, this country needs a great political alliance that will join hands with the people and provide answers to their problems. That political alliance is what we have built today.
September 04′
We were in alliances with big parties. According to them we are small parties. Gentlemen, remember the date ‘September 04’. When we finish the work we started, the “big people” will be crushed and the “small people” will be made bigger by the people of this country. It does not happen inside the offices of big parties. In the minds of the common people. We will accept that challenge. The great brave tree that stands tall with the big ones was planted today. We will make it the big tree in the future.
The era of handing over the throne to an elite family is over
Excuse me, monk, today the lay people are preaching and the monks are planting. A graduate in criminology works as a development officer in a rural service domain. Doctors talk about fertilizers. There are many distortions of this type that can be shown. We need to get this country out of these distortions. Also, if the people of this country think that a few families have been given free rein to rule this country, it is wrong. The era when the throne was handed over to the Senanayakes, the Kothalawalas, the Bandaranayakes, the Rajapaksa’s or any other such family is over.
The king’s doctrine is to protect the community
If we examine the royal history of Sri Lanka, sometimes it is the kings who do not have royal heritage who have done more justice to Sri Lanka than the kings who came from families with royal heritage. Kings like Dhatusena and Vasabha were such kings. What was the main theme of the reign of our kings? In Saddharmalankara there is ‘Raja Dhamma Praja Rakkha’. It says that the king’s dharma is to protect the community. The king is Ranjana. It means pleasure. What the king does is please the people. Many kings in our history have pleased the people well.
Before 1977, there was no gap between Sri Lanka’s import expenditure and export income. There was an excess. It is 1000 million dollars. Now there is no excess. There is a gap. That too is 1000 million dollars. That gap is covered by loans. Mr. Sajith Premadasa, while you are waiting, the good governance government under which Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe was the Prime Minister has taken 80% of the total amount of commercial debt in this country in four and a half years. These commercial loans have no grace period.
The installments of these commercial loans with high interest rates of 6%-7% are to be paid from the month following the month of borrowing. This is why the debt burden of the country has increased enormously and a situation has arisen where the debt cannot be paid. Now, the prime minister who started creating a situation where the debt cannot be paid has become the president and has become the doctor who cures the disease that he himself caused.
Strong criticism of the Gotabaya regime
Our strong criticism of the Gotabhaya Rajapaksa administration is that it did not recognize the challenges ahead and make a plan to face them. P.B. Eating the ropes of Jayasundara. Basil Rajapaksa and other family members cut the ropes. Looking at problems with mental obstacles due to the dream of going to America at the end of life and living happily with children and grandchildren. Because of all this, the President left the house and fell into the situation of running away.
Looking at all this, we have to come out of the wrong economic model that came from 1977. If you don’t have the courage to come out like that, if you look for the answer to the problem by maintaining the economic model that created the problem, this country will never get a real answer. The Northern Lankan coalition we are building today has the courage to take this country out of the economic model that created the problem.
Mao’s great mind
Today, the righteous anger and pressure that has arisen in the public due to this crisis is being used by the most sinful forces to achieve their sinful goals. That anger and pressure is being used to turn this country into Haiti. We must not fall into that trap. At one point, Mao Zedong joins forces with the leader of the Kuomintang against the Japanese imperialists. It is the Kuomintang that kills Mao’s ‘Red Army’. However, Mao joined the Kuomintang against that arch-enemy, although some in the Red Army disagreed.
On one side are the Japanese imperialists. On the other side is Kumintan. At one point, the Red Army suggests that ‘we will kill the Kuomintangs and seize power’. Then Mao Zedong says, ‘Whether we like it or not, that is legitimate rule. If we kill them and take control, the power will not go to us but to the Japanese aggressor’. Later, according to Mao Zedong’s proposal, the Red Army put on the uniform of the Kuomintang and fought against the Japanese aggressor. That is the
great mind. The stupid proposal from that stupid member was not accepted. Even during the crisis in our country, many people behaved without seeing this whole big picture. We need to be able to see what the main enemy threat is and respond accordingly. We also have other places to cover our noses in this journey.
An Asian power instead of European power
As the crisis escalated, the leaders of our parties arrogantly ignored the issues raised in the cabinet. Party leader meetings stopped being called. In the end, they are the ones who get the results. Therefore, I believe that this is the time when Western European hegemony is collapsing. Mr. Weerasinghe, the secretary of our coalition who spoke earlier, pointed out that Asia has the highest economic growth rate. said If we take the global scale, this is the time when the world is turning from the power of Europe to an Asian power.
System Change
We ask the business community of this country, ‘to protect your business and wealth in a fairer way, there should be a more secure society. Join hands with us for that’. Also, we ask the public servant to join hands with it, ‘this is your alliance’. We were able to revive the Valachchena paper mill, which was to be sold for iron in the past. Today, not only lottery tickets but also textbooks for school children are produced there. Also, as a result of the efforts made in the past, a change was made to Mineral Valley Company’s tender procedure and an online tender was called and after opening the tender, it was possible to provide all related services to the buyer within 07 hours. It dealt a blow to corruption. Isn’t this what system change is all about?
Corruption is not something that cannot be stopped. Although not 100%, it can be minimized. Corruption is a one-sided child of this economic model. Borrowing, spending, commissions. Therefore, the same model that gave birth to that child cannot stop corruption. The child of corruption needs to come out of the model it was born in, to defeat it. Our story is very clear to you.
Here is our manifesto. (Showing the manifesto that was released today) We have also released the manifesto of our coalition on the same day that it was formed. We invite all progressive democratic, nationalist and leftist political forces to say, ‘Let’s all start this new model together!’ We will assume the epoch-making, innovative roles and great leadership role required for the new transformation that the nation demands. Let’s join for that. For that, let’s line up very enthusiastically and intelligently for a new journey, not with the old model but with the new model!’