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WIMAL WEERAWANSA'S NEW PARTY - AN ATTEMPT TO UNITE OR DIVIDE HELA PEOPLE?

Tissa Gunatilaka, Sydney

The split of national forces from the Marxism was expected to happen anytime. This split has proved once again that the Marxism and Nationalism can not co-exist in one platform and only nationalism is relevant and applicable in the present context of our country.

In the recent past, even though the JVP is based on Marxism it had oscillated between the Marxism and Nationalism. While JVP acted in the spirit of nationalism in events like North-East de-merger, abolition of CFA and the NGO issue, it had shown the true colours of Marxism by abstaining for voting on the budget. The emergence of Nationalism above the Marxism within JVP may be due to the influence of Wimal Weerawansa (WW) fraction that represents nationalism.

The message that the people received via the split in the JVP can be interpreted as a myth that the present JVP appears working on - emergence of JVP as the only alternative political force in the country. This is based on the following theory:

When the MR government is defected or bring down in an activity it can be done (eg. the next budget), leads to an instalment of a UNP regime which directly represents western interests against Hela people, and assumes that when the people are unhappy about the UNP government, it would bring a JVP regime. It appears that this is the current principle that JVP is working on considering that UNP would be more anti-people than SLFP. The two factors that JVP has forgotten to consider when formulating this theory are:

1. When people elect a UNP Government, say for a few years (it can not last more than a couple of years), it would be sufficient to betray the whole nation and its culture by offering them on a platter to the westerners. (It should be noted that once this is done it would be a life and death event to reverse the undesirable effects),
2. The SLFP force. JVP assumes that SLFP'ers would go to a deep slumber when people elect a UNP government and only JVP will be the voice and the representation of depressed people under a western biased UNP Government.

Because of the above forgotten factors JVP's theory for coming in to the power can not be achieved in a manner that they appear pursuing at present.

I am sure that WW's new party will represent Hela interests and hence nationalistic politics. The results of the last presidential election indicates that only approximately half of the Hela people understand the necessity for the Hela culture to flourish in our country, the remaining half of the Hela people (who are namesake Hela) do not care whether it may be a country where westerners and their influence destroy our culture or not. (I am assuming that the majority of Sinhala people and other people who love our country would one day embrace values of Hela culture). The half that already embraces the Hela culture are in different camps today, namely in SLFP, JHU, JVP voter groups. In an election (real) Hela votes are divided among these political parties and would probably provide an easy win for the UNP and its western masters. WW's new party will also come under this group and further divide the Hela voter base to ensure an UNP regime in the next election. Therefore, even though WW's intentions are good it would provide a basis for further division of our people when the necessity of the day is to unify Hela forces under one umbrella to defeat the western forces led by the UNP.

Sri Lanka has a history of 'Jathika Viyaparaya' for more than 2500 years since it was introduced by king Pandukabhaya and nourished by many kings after king Pandukabhaya. The Jathika Viyaparaya was politicised during the freedom struggle in 1848 in 'Matale Satana' led by Gongalegoda Banda and Weera Puran Appu. It was the Jathika Viyaparaya that made a difficulty for the British colonials to conquer our country. Even the country was conquered by the colonial British (or rather betrayed by our own people) they could not conquer our culture like many other countries, for example in Africa, due to the liveliness of the Jathika Viyaparaya. While the Jathika Viyaparaya was revived by Anagarika Dharmapala in recent times SWRD had given a political leadership. JVP has consciously or unconsciously has given the encouragement to the Jathika Viyaparaya in the last few years through PNM (Patriotic National Movement) and the 'Manel Mal Viyaparaya'. We must congratulate Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara and WW for keeping the hopes of Hela people alive through these movements.

What needs today is not another party that would divide Hela people further but to revive the Jathika Viyaparaya. WW can provide an effective leadership to the present Jathika Viyaparaya with Dr. GA to make the other half of the hela people (who are yet to embrace the hela culture) understand the essence and importance for energising the Jathika Viyaparaya against the western forces. If WW can do this he will be remembered by our people on the same echelon as Anagarika Dharmapala.

Tissa Gunatilaka,
Sydney - 6 May 2008

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