FSP: SJB and opposition parties facing litmus test that will determine their political future

The Frontline Socialist Party on Tuesday said that the Samagi Jana Balavegaya and opposition parties, in Parliament, were facing a litmus test that would determine their political future.

Frontline Socialist Party Education Secretary Pubudu Jagoda, addressing a press conference at the Party Headquarters, in Nugegoda, said those parties in the opposition faced a test on where they stood because they had two choices. “They can either join one camp that unleashes suppression against Aragalaya activists, ranging from political and trade union leaders to a person who got a selfie in his mobile while visiting Galle Face protests. Or they can stand with people against the suppression. This is not a suppression of a single party,” Jagoda said.

“We do not test Ranil Wickremesinghe and his power hungry allies now settling in top places of the government offices and any member of the Rajapaksa clan. Nor do we test some Pohottuwa MPs who are against the Aragalaya activists after recent incidents where people set their houses on fire. These are the same lot of Pohottuwa MPs whose faces people may remember from video footage during Parliament fracas where they destroyed public property and threw chilli powder at policemen. They have joined forces with the government suppressive machinery to take revenge. We do not need to test the standpoints of MPs wishing to get ministerial posts, or chairs, in proposed Parliament committees, with Cabinet powers. There are some officials controlling the Army and Police in this suppression. They too are exempted from the test because they have decided to take the course of oppressive governing of people. All these are in one camp. They are hell-bent on how to form a mechanism to get hold of power and they are well aware of the fact that suppression of people will continue under Wickremesinghe’s government poised to privatise all remaining state enterprises.

In that process of selling off national assets, people and trade unions will oppose that so there will be more suppression. Together these will form a despotic administration. Now people are looking at the standpoint the opposition parties may take. Of all those 225 MPs, there was only a single MP with a backbone. Only MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam had the guts to reject the oppressive government. The JVP, too, has announced that it does not recognize this makeshift government, formed to save the enemies of the people. That is a positive sign.”

“This suppression is against society. This is a litmus test for SJB and other parties in Parliament’s opposition ranks to show people their true selves. With these standpoints, people can understand the camp against them. If they cannot stand up against this suppression, that would indicate the end of their political legitimacy, too. Such a situation will help us to conclude that they all have united over their party ideological differences for a system of governance, suppressing people, irrespective of their political differences. It will justify that slogan of protesters rejecting all 225 MPs,” Jagoda said.