Parties mark May Day in different ways

By Himal Kotelawala

Several prominent political parties including the ruling PA coalition and the JVP will hold May Day rallies on a grand scale this year. However, the main opposition United National Party (UNP) will hold a low-key religious ceremony at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara to mark International Labour Day, party sources said.

UNP Secretary General Tissa Attanayaka said his party decided to conduct a religious ceremony instead of a major rally this year taking into consideration the prevailing security situation in the country.“The party leader will head the ceremony. We have limited our May Day events to a religious ceremony due to the ongoing security situation and also because we have to focus on the upcoming Eastern Provincial Council elections,” he said.

The Government May Day rally will be held at Dehiattakandiya in Ampara with the participation of all constituent parties of the ruling coalition. Veteran trade union leader Alavi Moulana said the rally would begin at 2 p.m. with the participation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Agriculture Minister Hemakumara Nanayakkara said the UNP Democratic Group would be joining the Government’s May Day rally in Dehiattakandiya. Meanwhile the JVP is planning an island wide poster campaign to mark May Day under the theme “The Red May Day rally against imperialism, separatism and the abuse of the economy” and the events will culminate in a major rally at the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) grounds.

JVP Gampaha District MP Vijitha Herath said the party planned to bring together labourers, union members from State and private sectors, teachers’ unions, etc. Members of estate workers’ unions, most of them upcountry Tamils, will also take part in the rally, he said. The JVP hopes to bring forward proposals to uplift the working and living standards of labourers at the rally, he added.