Today an international Solidarity Meeting was organised at the University of Delhi, New Delhi, India in support of the ongoing People’s Movement in Sri Lanka, and against the repression unleashed by the Sri Lankan government on the movement.
It should be noted that the Sri Lankan people have been waging a valiant movement, the ‘Janatha Aragalaya’ against their autocratic and corrupt government for the past several months. The original protests which were launched against the growing misery faced by the people ultimately culminated with the ouster of the then incumbent President, Gotabaya Rajpaksha.
This movement in a country that is our neighbor has been a beacon of hope for various people’s struggles that are being waged across the world. It also signifies the growing crisis of the exploitative world capitalist system and the people’s collective power against the forces of capitalism and imperialism.
More importantly, the Sri Lankan people’s struggle has shown people’s aspiration to move beyond the representative form of government embodied by the Parliament. Not just the Rajpaksha clique and the current hand-picked President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, but the entire Sri Lankan Parliament stands exposed and vilified as corrupt that only serves the ruling elites and the dominant economic classes.
At present, the ruling elites in active connivance with the imperialist forces and dominant economic classes are actively involved in the curbing of the Janatha Aragalaya and repression of common people. There are also plans afoot to bring back the former President, Gotabaya Rajpaksa to the country.
This has exposed the so-called representatives of the people in Parliament who are hand-in-glove with the domestic and foreign capital to ensure that the exploitative and unjust economic and political system stays in place, and prompted people to call for the resignation of not just the current President, but of all the members of the Parliament. At this juncture, it is imperative to restrengthen the movement by taking up the ‘Go to the People Campaign’ and unleashing people’s power to effectively challenge the brutal and repressive powers-that-be.
KYS demands that there should be an immediate repeal of the emergency in Sri Lanka, and all the political prisoners should be released unconditionally. There should be a moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the military should be returned to barracks and there should be no repressive measures on peaceful protests.
KYS resolutely stands with the struggle of the Sri Lankan people and calls upon them to continue their struggle not just against a corrupt and illegitimate government, but for the basic political and economic transformation of Sri Lanka. The need of the hour is to forge unity among all the toiling masses, together move beyond a mere representative form of a political system where betrayal of the issues of the masses is a norm, and evolve systems of direct democracy where people have an active role in decision-making.
