New President in ‘strong’ position to undertake national reconciliation-CFL

Gotabaya Rajapakse by the magnitude of his victory at the recent presidential election is in a strong position to undertake national reconciliation and mobilise the efforts of the 74.9 per cent Sinhalese, 15.3 per cent Tamils, 9.3 per cent Muslims and others in the country to surmount the formidable socio-economic problems it faces today, a trade union body said on Thursday.

While congratulating the President, the Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL) said in a statement that if one is to go by his public pronouncements, one could assume that he plans to do the above. 

“The country failed to forge national unity in the aftermath of both the Tsunami of 2004 and the internal war in 2009 or during the post-2015 period of Yahapalanaya. President Rajapakse is in a position seize the opportunity to bring about the much yearned for national reconciliation. The CFL pledges its whole-hearted support for any action he may take in this regard,” it said.

The CFL said the polls clearly indicated a sharp ethnic polarisation in our country facilitated by the intense and virulent electoral campaign aimed at “demonising communities on religious and communal grounds and alienating them from the mainstream politics of the country”. 

It accused ‘the capitalist media’ of playing a role in destroying communal harmony by spreading lies, deception and calumny and nurturing an unfounded Islamophobia threatening national security. Sadly, the divisive propaganda continues to keep our communities apart to date.

The CFL whilst being concerned on the possibility of the kindling of communal issues during the forthcoming parliamentary elections expresses the hope that communal politics will not be allowed to divide the working class. “The working class needs more than ever to stand together to confront the impending onslaught by the capitalist class on their rights and privileges in the period ahead under the cover of economic reforms peddled to the new President as being necessary to spur growth. The CFL while reiterating the need for the working class to eschew communal politics calls upon it to unite as a class and refuse to fall prey to the machinations of reactionary forces that are bent on disorienting and dividing them for the larger benefit of the capitalist class in the country,” it said in a statement issued by the CFL General Secretary T.M.R. Rasseedin.