A Fresh Attempt To Revive Subaltern Politics
Sumanasiri Liyanage
May Day 2016 marked a significant difference for two reasons from the May Days of recent past. First is that it has demonstrated a decline of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) as the May Day signified clear division between its two wings. The second reason is that it marked although in a small scale the emergence of independent workers movement after the defeat of 1980 general strike. Together with the re-emergence of this new independent working class unity, we have also witnessed a unity between a Marxist group the average age of which is 30-35 years and the young organic leadership in trade unions. They played a key role in organizing of course behind the screen the joint may day rally of the trade unions this year.
Media was unusually attentive of May Day 2016 mainly because of the assumption that May Day 2016 would be critically decisive of the future of the Sri Lanka SLFP and ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksha. Although out of power for 16 months, it seems that the politics in Sri Lanka, at least in many peoples’ mind, still continues to revolve around Mahinda Rajapaksha. In the last 50 years, the meaning of the May Day as a day in which the wage-earning class is supposed to show its strength by raising demands to protect its living and working conditions and upholding its solidarity with their brothers and sisters in other countries has lost in Sri Lanka. The sad story that brought about disastrous outcome for the Sri Lankan working class begun in 1964, when the principal working class party in Sri Lanka, the Lanka Samasamaja Party (LSSP) deviating from its original principles, entered into a coalition government with the SLFP as its junior partner. Since 1964, May Day has become an event to show the strength of the political parties which were seeking governmental power. Thus, May day has transformed into a part and parcel of parliamentary politics. Very few working class organizations stood for the independent working class principles.
Reflecting on May Day 2016, I tend to identify three categories of May Day rallies, namely, (1) rallies for political power, (2) rallies for political deals and (3) rallies for worker rights. Three may day events, namely, SLFP rally at Galle, UNP rally at Campbell Park, and Joint Opposition rally at Kirulapana may be grouped in the first category as they were directly aiming at either maintaining and preserving the governmental power (as the UNP and the legal SLFP) that they at present exercise or capturing the governmental power that they lost some time ago (JO). We may easily put into the second category, the May Day rally organized by the LSSP breakaway group, CP breakaway group, Nava Samasamaja Party and the trade union led by Saman Rathnapriya who played a key role in betraying workers struggle planned for November 15 last year. All these groups are shameless lackeys of the UNP led government. The same thing is true for LSSP, CP and DUF as they are seeking ‘deal’ with MR wing of the SLFP.
