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May Day rallies: Working comrades ready to raise socio-economic issues
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
All major political parties are set to hold grand May Day rallies, ahead of launching election campaigns.
Several parties have selected Colombo as their venue, and the National People’s Power (NPP) will have four events in important cities, including the north and the south.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe is due at the United National Party rally. Organisers say they plan to attract more than 100,000. UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara said Maligawatta has been selected. The event will start around 2 p.m. and conclude. with a musical show attended by Indian artists.
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam also hinted at a special event during their May Day rally at Campbell Park, on the theme of farmers and labourers. He declined to reveal what it was.
The party has not planned to start an election campaign with the rally, he added, saying the party is being strengthened and the May Day event is a part of this process.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya said it will commemorate workers under the theme of a strong country and a great future: “savibala ratak, anagi hetak.” The meeting will be at D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha near Lake House Junction, said General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara. A procession will start at the A.E. Gunasinghe grounds around 2 p.m. There will be entertainment afterwards.
The NPP will have a party leader at each of the rallies in four cities—Colombo, Matara, Anuradhapura, and Jaffna—said member Dr Nalinda Jayatissa. The Jaffna event will start at 10 a.m, while the others will be at 2p.m. and 3.30 p.m..
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is yet to decide on a venue. Acting General Secretary Sarathie Dushmantha, Deputy Secretary Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, Polonnaruwa District organiser Daham Sirisena and SLFP-aligned trade unionist Chamil Liyange have checked out several playgrounds in the Gampaha district, party sources said.
They intend to have a May Day rally despite internal issues, Mr. Dushmantha said, and organisers have been advised to make preparations on a grand scale. Nobody is restricted from joining the event, he said.
The Freedom People’s Congress (SLPP breakaway) is yet undecided and its leader, Dulles Allahapperuma, said a decision could be made in a few days.
The Frontline Socialist Party will have its rally at Hyde Park with a procession starting at Maligakanda at 1p.m. and passing through Maradana. The main meeting will be at 3 p.m., said Pubudu Jagoda, publicity secretary. The theme is, “Working people, let’s defeat the IMF death-trap and Indian colonisation” (weda karnana janathawani, IMF mara ugulen ha Indiyanu yatahwijithakaranaya parajaya karamu). This will be followed by a trilingual cultural show.
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party will hold its rally at the Ananda Samarakoon open theatre. But while LSSP leader Tissa Vitarana said they will go it alone, the Sri Lanka Communist Party (CP) claimed the LSSP is divided and some groups will join up with six other leftist parties for a May Day celebration.
“Some SLFP groups as well as the Jathika Nidahas Peramuna have proposed a collaborative May Day event, but the matter is still being discussed,” Prof. Vitarana said.
CP General Secretary G. Weerasinghe said the theme is under discussion. He claimed that National Freedom Front, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Democratic Left Front, Manushiya Janatha Sandanaya, Dushana Virodhi Jathika Pakshaya, Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya and a faction of the LSSP will participate.
Meanwhile, some trade unions have organised their own May Day event devoid of political affiliation. The Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU) said it will mark the day as an independent movement of 10 unions.
However, the police have refused permission for their first choice venue, the Sirisena Grounds in Maligawatte, as the UNP rally is nearby, said CMU General Secretary S.P. Nathan. They are now awaiting permission from the Colombo Municipal Council to use the indoor stadium at Vihara Maha Devi Park.
The Ceylon Teachers’ Union will gather at Sangiliyan Park in Jaffna. They will urge the Government to resolve all issues in the education sector, particularly schools in the North, said General Secretary Joseph Stalin. The union will also call for a shift in the education policy and a reduction in the burden of education expenses on parents.
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) has checked out two locations, but is unsure yet whether a May Day event will be held, a spokesman said.
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