“We’ll run at future elections on our own under the Key symbol”

by Prof. TISSA VITARANA

The Sama Samaja party decided to have its 88th Anniversary in the Kalutara district In response to the request of the party members of that district. A long procession started at 1 pm from the LSSP office in Matugama and passed through the streets and filled the Town Hall and the surrounding area. The meeting started at 1.30pm and was chaired by Mrs Taneesha Samaraweera, the Kalutara district organizer of the LSSP.

After her welcome address, speeches were made by Tissa Vitarana, then the LSSP Deputy Secretary and President of the Youth Organization Ravindra, the Chairman of the National Organization of the Disabled Thushara Sampath, Acting Prof. of Economics of the Colombo University Inderjit Aponso and the Jaffna District LSSP Organizer Weerakumaran among others. The presence of the Cuban Ambassador Garrido was an expression of international socialist solidarity.

It was unanimously decided to contest the next election alone as the LSSP on the Key symbol. Since we began coalition politics in 1964 one lesson that we have learned is that forming alliances before the election ends up by us having to sacrifice a large number of our best candidates and abandon our policies that can save the ordinary people and the country.

If it is necessary to form an alliance Government the LSSP will only sign MOUs after the general election with other parties that are progressive to form a progressive alliance government provided our policies are given a due place. This approach gives us the opportunity to place our solutions before the people so as to decide whether they like or dislike our options. If they like our options we can persuade our alliance partners to include them in the common manifesto when we sign an MOU after the election.

The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) was formed on December 18, 1935 with two main objectives – winning independence from British imperial rule, eliminating poverty and gaining social equity for all the people of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). There was a list of 22 other issues like a free health service, free education, employees rights etc.

The struggle for independence led to the banning of the LSSP and the imprisonment of its leaders like Dr. N M Perera, Dr. Colvin R de Silva, Philip Gunewardena and many others, both in Sri Lanka, and in India where they went underground after escaping from jail here. Leslie Goonewardene led the underground struggle against the British, who finally granted us independence in 1948 and they left, but retained control of the plantations, and the Queen of Britain retained sovereignty.

Full independence with sovereignty was obtained after 24 years of struggle led by the LSSP (as the local capitalist class and the feudalists were ්satisfied with Dominion status). It was only in 1972, through the Republican Constitution drawn up by Colvin, which made Sri Lanka a fully independent and sovereign Republic. (India won independence in just three years through struggles led by Gandhi and Nehru, with the full support of their capitalist class . It was Colvin, who as Minister of Plantations, with the support of Kobbekaduwa, who nationalized the plantations, thereby getting full control of our economy.

It was the LSSP that formed most of the trade unions that struggled and won workers rights and fair wages. They had to have frequent strikes to support these struggles for rights and proper wages. The strength of the trade unions gave the LSSP the necessary support for the political struggles. The unions were also the recruiting grounds for new party members.

A bulk of the members came from different districts. The party was started in the Kegalle district by Dr.N M Perera and while the party has 270 branches in all 25 districts Kegalle is its stronghold. As such the Ruwanwella and Yatiyantota electorates are the strongest and the LSSP has won seats at all levels up to Parliament at every election. Deraniyagala has been lost only once. Yatiyantota came to be called “the N M electorate”.

The next in strength for the LSSP is the southern coastal strip extending from Colombo to Galle district, with representatives up to Parliament including Moratuwa, Panadura, Kalutara, Balapitiya, Ambalangoda, and Ratgama.

Extending inland from this area the LSSP has won Matugama, Agalawatte, and Bandaragama. In Colombo too LSSP had members of Parliament from Colombo South (like Bernard Soysa), Colombo North (Vivienne Gunewardena), Colombo East and Borella. There were MPs from Badulla, Bandarawela, Nuwara Eliya and Maskeliya in the hill country. There were Tamil MPs from Jaffna in the North and from Batticaloa District. The LSSP is free of any prejudice based on race, religion or caste.

All these MPs, MMCs etc have worked day and night for the people they represented. Not one of them has ever had any charges of misdeeds lodged against them in any Court of Law. None have obtained or misused any Government money or buildings. Rather than using Government property or funds for themselves or relatives or friends, they have spent their own money to help others in need. They have never charged a cent for any services rendered by them. This is a proud record that has been upheld by all LSSP politicians. We are committed to serve the people and the country. You can rely on us at all times.