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Political twists in grand May Day parades
The focus of May Day rallies and processions by the main parties and unions will be the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) rally in Galle and the Joint Opposition meeting – to be attended by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa – in Kirulapone.
Parties are busy preparing banners, cut-outs, posters, floats and musical bands to celebrate May Day.
The United National Party (UNP) rally will take place at Campbell Park, Borella, with the procession setting off at 11am with participants from all parts of the country.
Minister of Media Gayantha Karunathilaka said the rally will be telecast live, with payment being made to the television station involved, and that the party would also pay for state buses to be used to transport supporters.
The SLFP has arranged its celebrations at the Samanala Grounds in Galle, the Minister of Social Empowerment and Welfare, S.B. Dissanayake said. He said the party and its affiliated trade unions will have two processions, one coming from Kandy through Colombo and Ratgama and the other via Ratnapura through Matara and Akuressa.
The minister claimed 20 per cent of the Joint Opposition, which is to hold its rally in Kirulapone, would instead opt to join the SLFP rally in Galle.
The Joint Opposition rally, with Mr. Rajapaksa in attendance, will commence its procession from Narahenpita to the main venue at Kirulapone Junction.
Among the 17 parties taking part in the rally will be the New Democratic Party, the National Freedom Front, Piwithuru Hela Urumaya, Lanka Sama Samaja Party and the Communist Party.
Communist Party Secretary A. Sudasinghe said his party would join the rally on condition that no anti-Indian slogans are used and that participants refrain from raising communalism and religious divisions.
National Freedom Front (NFF) spokesman Mohamed Muzammil said his party’s focus at the rally would be to call for the public to be protected from taxes.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will march from the S. de S. Jayasinghe Grounds in Dehiwela at noon and aim to reach to BRC Grounds near Havelock Road, Colombo, around 4pm, MP Vijitha Herath said.
He said district organisers and participants will privately hire or take public transport to come to the rally.
The JVP theme would be workers’ empowerment and the securing of labour rights, Mr. Herath said, adding that foreign delegates are expected to join along with JVP-affiliated trade unions including those representing teachers, railway workers, electricity board employees and farmers.
“Vehicles with floats, posters banners with political illustrations and bands will be part of our procession,” he said
The Illankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi will hold a rally in Kilinochchi and a separate meeting in Maradanamadam in Jaffna. All affiliated parties too will take part.
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) will hold its rally in Nuwara Eliya while the Upcountry People’s Front, Democratic Front and the Democratic National Union of Workers will hold their rally in Talawakele.
Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka’s Democratic Party will hold its rally at the Buddhadasa Playground in Battaramulla, with the procession starting from Rajagiriya.
“We will come out with a 12-point declaration for the benefit of workers,” Field Marshal Fonseka said.
The Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU) will hold its rally at Hyde Park Corner with two processions starting from D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha and from Kollupitiya, Chairman Sylvester Jayakody said.
He said the Ceylon Bank Employees Union, Free Trade Zone workers and General Workers Union will join, along with 15 other independent unions.
 Bala Tampoe honoured with street name The Chairman of Ceylon Mercantile Union, Sylvester Jayakody, said 22nd Lane in Kollupitiya will be renamed Bala Tampoe Road on May Day before the start of labour celebrations on that day. The street will be named in the name of the unionist to honour his long service in the union movement. When Tampoe died in 2014, aged 92, he was the oldest union leader in the world, having led the CMU since 1948. Labour Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne is to officiate at the renaming of the road, Mr. Jayakody said. |