80th Anniversary of the Lankan Communist Party: Celebrations, Policy Alternatives, and South Asian Solidarity

2023-07-13 23:00:41

MrThe 80th anniversary of the Lankan Communist Party was held in Colombo in early July. Communist Party representatives from South Asian countries participated in the celebration program held at the Youth Service Hall in Maharagama. This writer represented the CPI and was attended by TM Murthy, a member of the national executive. G Ramakrishnan-CPI(M), Rita Ramakrishnan-Communist Party of Nepal (United Socialist), former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal-Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist), Pradeep Kumar Kyawali-Communist Party of Bangladesh represented the communist parties of various countries. Raman Shaheen and Zakat Sabarina also participated on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. More than 2,500 people from various walks of life like Communist Party members, mass activists, left intellectuals, doctors and academics came from Sri Lanka for the celebration.

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The conference was formally inaugurated by DEW Gunasekara, who was the party’s general secretary and chairman for two decades and a minister for several years. He elaborated on the ways in which the Communist Party came in. Weera Sumana Weerasinghe, Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka from Madarai Lok Sabha Constituency, delivered the welcome speech. General Secretary Dr. G Veerasingham delivered the keynote address. Two years ago Dr. G Veerasingham was elected as the General Secretary. He quit his job as a doctor and assumed the post of General Secretary. Sri Lankan Communist Party founder Dr. SA Vikrama Singh is a well-known leader in India as well. His statue is installed in Colombo. G Veerasingham said that the Communist Party, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary, has presented an alternative to the country’s economic policy. The alternative policy was formulated by discussing with experts in various fields who might prepare the draft and share ideas. The said document was discussed in detail on the second day of the conference. He clarified that following preparing the final form, he will discuss it with the representatives of all the political parties in the country. He also informed that the alternative policy will be presented to the country by including their views. He held discussions with leaders from foreign countries at the party headquarters and exchanged ideas with each other. A symposium was also organized with the participation of South Asian leaders. TM Murthy spoke on behalf of the CPI at the symposium. The party is now implementing action plans to attract more youth. In the 80th anniversary program, lectures and speeches were in Sinhala and Tamil languages, but there was a system of translation into other languages.

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Sri Lankan Communist Party Chairman DEW Gunasekara’s speech at a symposium attended by South Asian Communist Parties as part of the conference was an assessment of Sri Lanka’s present and global situation. Below are its relevant parts: ‘The Communist Party was founded in Sri Lanka as in the countries of the region by some students in London who were inclined to leftist ideas and interested in the national liberation movement. The Sri Lankan Samaj Party, the first left-wing party in Sri Lanka, was founded in 1935. After completing his education in London, Dr. It was founded by Vikrama Singh. Following the differences of opinion formed during the Second World War, Dr. Vikrama Singh left the Samaj Party and formed the Communist Party of Ceylon on 3 July 1943. Although the government might not be directly formed in Sri Lanka, since then the Communist Party has continued to fight for the interest and upliftment of the people of Sri Lanka. Politically, even political critics agree that the political experience of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka is mature. The party led many struggles from 1945 to 1947. Eight hours of work, pension, leave, wages and many rights of the workers were achieved through the agitations carried out by the party. 75 years since the independence of the South Asian countries, we are constantly mired in religious, regional and ethnic conflicts. After independence, liberated countries are progressing rapidly. Socialist countries like Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have made great progress compared to when they were independent. China has become the second largest economic power in the world. The Cuban Communist Party’s active relationship with the people is also surprising. Sri Lanka’s financial crisis is intensifying. Sri Lanka imports twice as much as exports. How to pay for imported goods in US dollars. So they are borrowing more and more. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister was told directly that the current economic policy will not restore the country. But the rulers are unwilling to budge. Last year there was a riot here. All facilities were provided for the participants. Food and clothing were all provided.

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Millions of US dollars have poured in for this purpose. Who bore all these expenses? Many voluntary organizations are spread across our countries. They penetrate every field. The full-time job of these voluntary groups is to keep people away from politics and prevent them from political struggles. The traditional organized sector is also declining in Sri Lanka. The informal sector is growing rapidly. Workers in these have no trade union rights. The government does not think regarding the plight of the working people. We are facing a new reality. Now digital is the biggest. Wars are fought over it. Gone are the days when social media boasted that everyone might share information with everyone. The dominant forces are always spreading false and distorted information through social media. Accounts of those who strongly oppose the actions of imperialist countries and their respective governments, or who dare to expose those forces, are blocked. So there should be complete exchange of information between our parties. If possible, let’s try to see if a similar strategy is possible. A party in one country can help another party in teaching and learning Marxism’. Organized as part of a political party’s anniversary, the Conference of Communist Parties of South Asian Countries has become a platform for exchange of ideas and mutual cooperation. Along with that, the presentation of Sri Lankan cultural programs was also impressive.

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