Military solution: Nandana explains NFF policy

General Secretary of the newly formed National Freedom Front (NFF), former JVP MP Nandana Gunatilleke in an interview with The Sunday Times said the new party would work to take state power in ten years. He said no amount of pressure from the JVP or other forces will stop them from achieving their political objectives.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q. What are the objectives of your new party the National Freedom Front (NFF) and how do you propose to take forward your polices?

A: The party is here to fulfil a historic requirement. After 48 years of independence, we are still unable to break free from the shackles of imperialism. These forces are unable to solve the national problem. We want to break free from imperialism, defeat separatism and win real freedom for the country.

Q: You want to challenge the two main parties in the country. The JVP too tried to do the same thing.

A: We have clear aims and objectives, quite different from the JVP. The programme Comrade Rohana Wijeweera set in motion is no longer practised by the JVP. They have gone off track today. We formed this party based on an understanding of the needs of this era. We have a leadership which can muster support of the public.

We are not a primitive party like the JVP. Our’s will be an open party which will work without any class bias and open to the working masses.

Q: What makes you say the JVP is no longer a challenge to the two main political parties?

A: Over the past 43 years, the JVP has been involved in promoting several progressive measures, but apart from this the the party has not been able to capture state power.

The reason for this is they failed to recognize the needs of the people and work accordingly. That is why even after 43 years they have been unable to form a government. We are not underestimating them, but by adopting the wrong tactics they failed to achieve their objectives.

The JVP we created has now become a bureaucratic institution which in turn has led to its failures.

A: Yes, positively. Polices which are restricted to theory have no place in an ever changing world order. The present leadership is continuing primitive policies.

The politburo which consists of the present leadership, and the so-called central committee should be abolished. There is need for a new leadership with foresight. If not this party will continue to shrink and become a dictatorial institution. Today the JVP is being run according to the whims and fancies of a few. They have no contact with the people and work in isolation. Their election to these posts is conducted in an undemocratic manner.

Q. The leader of the NFF Wimal Weerawansa said that the new party will become a political force in ten years. The JVP has said that those who have left them will end up in the dustbins of history. What do you have to say?

A: Yes that has happened to many who left the JVP. But that does not apply to us. I left the JVP in February in 2006. I could have joined the government or another party but I did not do that. Instead I chose to stay outside and do what I could to reform the party. The objective of the NFF is not to be a party that hibernates. It will work for the next ten years to attain state power at the end of that period.

Q: How do you plan to take your political Party forward? Do you have the strength to resist pressure from the JVP and other forces?

A: A number of acts of violence have been unleashed on us. These acts have been committed on the orders of the leadership of the JVP. But we will not resort to violence to counter such actions. We will seek the protection of the law. We are a democratic party and will work accordingly. We have the strength to go forward.

A: At this time, imperialist forces are involved in our internal affairs. This separatist war was created and is being perpetuated by these forces. Without defeating separatism, there can be no equality among all the ethnic groups.

We need to defeat separatism by military means if we are to solve these problems. This is the only way to bring about reconciliation among the different races.

A: The JVP has been supporting the government in parliament on many issues. Then the UNP accused the JVP of supporting the Government. If we are being accused of pandering to the Government, such allegations are being made by the UNP and the JVP. Today they are saying the same thing from two different places.

We are not pandering to the needs of the Government. We will support efforts of the government to work for the national good. Likewise we will work toward defeating the wrong polices of the government.

A: We contested the general election as members of the UPFA so we are not in the legislature as JVP members but as government members. Under election laws, we are recognized as such. The JVP has no right to abolish our parliament membership. We can only be removed by the UPFA General Secretary and hence the question of losing our parliamentary seats does not arise.