By Raju Prabath Lankaloka
A local government election is in the cards. The Ranil Rajapaksa regime has openly shown that they do not have any interest in the election. It is because they are well aware that their nakedness will get exposed once again through that election.
Today, UNP, as well as UPFA, are both in a position where they cannot go to the people. This fact has been accepted by both parties by forming an alliance of UPFA and UNP to contest this election. Three years ago, the representatives of the UPFA, have shouted in front of the people to “save the country” from the “Bank Robber”, “betraying the nation”. This time they allied with Ranil Wickramasinghe, saying that he “can save the country from the crisis” and “control the situation so that they can go back to the electorate”. It is a scenario of a blind man carrying a lame man. This alliance clearly shows that there is no limit to the depth, capitalist representatives can go to deceive the people just to save the capitalist system.
Many sections, including those who claim to be leftists, and people involved in the struggle who have been tamed by the bourgeoisie and brought into their den, are portraying this election as decisive to the people.
For the existing capitalist system, any election is a constitutional mechanism to maintain its system. Elections are also often used as a safety valve to de-radicalize the people, instilling new hopes among the people.
This is also the reason why many western countries demanded to go for a new government which have a people’s mandate, after the resignation of the Rajapaksas one after the other due to the 2022 struggle. But at that time Ranil Wickramasinghe as well as the Rajapaksas were mortally afraid to go for an election. It was because they knew that they would all be rejected by the people.
We know that the regime cannot be changed through the local government election. Also, we know very well that nothing can be done to change the existing system through such elections. That is why we do not want to create any illusions among the people about this election.
Nevertheless, we have to face this election now. Our position is that we have to transform this local government election to mobilize the people against the repressive, pro-imperialist, predatory and oppressive program of the Ranil Rajapaksa regime, which works according to the advice of imperialist financial institutions and the global capitalist system.
For that, we also demand from left parties and groups to form a united front to contest in this election, based on a program against neo-liberalism. We also request them instead of calculating the number of representatives their party or group can win, they must come out with a program against the neo-liberalist agenda to secure the future of the people and the country.
We also suggest that the program should include the following:
• Immediate cessation of all forms of repression and human rights abuses by the government! As a step in that direction, repeal the Emergency Law, the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the proposed Rehabilitation Bill.
• Immediate withdrawal of all charges against protestors who have been prosecuted for joining the 2022 struggle!
• Suspend all foreign loan payments, which were already withheld! Reject the terms of IMF as the IMF is not a solution but just tightening the noose around!
• Enacting laws and regulations for bringing 100% of the country’s export income into the country within a limited period of time!
• Taking measures to prevent the fraudulent outflow of wealth by companies (carried out by over-invoicing for imports and under-invoicing for exports etc)!
• Obtaining government income through direct taxes from businesses and those who have assets instead of the oppressive tax system that obtains government income through indirect taxes far surpassing direct taxes!
• Taking measures to stop the inflation that people are suffering from. For that, the people’s food, education, health and transportation costs will be reduced immediately!
• Implementing a mechanism to increase wages proportionate to inflation!
• Nationalise essential services such as health, education and transportation!
• Taking the entire power and energy sector under state control to guarantee uninterrupted power to people and reasonable fuel prices!
• Abolition of small and medium-scale loans given to farmers and fisheries communities!
• As a solution to the food insecurity faced by about 2/3 of the people in the country, bringing the production and import of agricultural products and fertilizers under the control of the government!
• Meeting the needs of the people by taking over the wealth of multinational companies and multinational banks!
• Audit the income and expenditure and assets and liabilities of all politicians and all public servants covering the last 25 years and take action to recover misappropriated income and assets back to the Government!
• Stop all forms of fraud, corruption and irregularities. Fraudsters and corrupt persons must be brought before a people’s court to recover the stolen property from the people!
• Develop and implement a program that will eliminate unemployment and ensure environmental and climatic sustainability with industrial development!
• Immediate suspension of privatization programs and bringing the loss-making state enterprises under democratic workers’ control to make those loss-making public enterprises efficient.
• Changing the economic and political system which is a catastrophe for the people! For this, building people’s committees consisting of workers ‘committees at the workplace level, farmers’ and fisheries committees and people’s councils at the divisional level and a people’s rule from elected representatives from them!
• Use those people’s committees to establish a people’s constitution with the participation of the people outside the Parliament!
• Abolishing the possibility of discrimination against a section of the population on the basis of racism, religion or any other form of social division; and opening the door to ethnic unity and integration in the country by affirming the right of the minorities to maintain and promote their cultures and to control the areas where they live according to their will.
