From Sokkas to Lokkas in Our Society

"I now refer pointedly to Tissa Vitarana and DEW Gunasekera, of the LSSP and the CP, respectively.They cannot get elected to a local office. Tissa Vitarana headed the APRC and wrote a report that fitted his decrepit theories.They are sokkas of our political society that have become lokkas."

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by Dr. Rohan De Silva

(February 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is in the nature of democracy that the majority rules at anytime. That should not mean that the minorities are ignored or their views not taken into account. All citizens are equal before the law. However, a minotiry party should not be allowed to extert undue influence in key areas of policy making and governance with a view to depriving the majority of its legitimate rights.

I refer to the undue influence of the LSSP (Lanka Sama Samaja Party) and the CP (Communist Party) on our life over the years.

These two parties, over the years have lost their support because their theories, principles and policies are irrelevant not only to us today but to the world. They are to be remembered for their role in strikes they promoted during SWRD's time. I recall Mrs. Bandaranaike observing that it was the LSSP that killed her husband. At that time she was not into politics. She was later to curry favour with the LSSP and the CP to form a government with the mistaken belief that they had the brains. During the SLFP government of the 70s, their undue influence in government and economic policies of the Finance Minister took Sri Lanka along a depressive path; the result was starvation and by the end of 1977, we had a depressed economy with people having no assets and capital. The capitalists that create wealth must be destroyed and they did acting according to their theory. Commanding heights of the economy must be state controlled. If one had Rs. 50,000 he was considered super rich. It had many cockeyed ideas. To solve the housing crisis, a family had to live downstairs and rent the upstairs. To bring out hidden money which was estimated at Rs. 200,000 million was to demonetise. They just collected Rs. 20,000 million and the Governor of the Central Bank became the scapegoat. It destroyed the Sinhala middle class from whom the intellectuals and honourable politicians were drawn. It took over their land and businesses. How unsuccessful the SLFP government with LSSP and CP ruling the roost were is to be seen from the election result of 1977 - the UNP won with 5/6th majority which has proved equally damaging to the country. It is this UNP government's policies that have now resulted in an unmanageable political structure, a president who is a dictator.

That is history. A dark impenetrable, suffocating and self-generating political cloud hovers over Sri Lanka. That is indeed the worst of environmental pollution we live with.

Since then, where is the LSSP and the CP? Their theories are irrelevant in the world today, except in Cuba. It was not relevant 40 years ago. They have been aptly described as three-wheeler parties - only a president, secretary, and treasurer but no members, and worse still is that they have no support or any MP in parliament. Both parties are decrepit, dilapidated, degraded, irrelevant and of no use to our society. They cannot get a single member elected to parliament. Not even to a Pradeshiya Sabah.

Yet the dictatorial president has appointed one from each party to two key Ministries of Constitutional Affairs and Science and Technology. From these ministries they exercise undue influence. One ministry has even teamed up with a NGO (Bergoff Foundation), to promote their irrelevant views on us. How have they entered parliament? As National List MPs. Why should persons who cannot get elected because their policies are irrelevant in our society be made MPs. They have never had a backing in the country - they won a few seats in 1971 because they hung on to the sari pota of the SLFP (no contest pact).

I now refer pointedly to Tissa Vitarana and DEW Gunasekera, of the LSSP and the CP, respectively.

They cannot get elected to a local office. Tissa Vitarana headed the APRC and wrote a report that fitted his decrepit theories.

They are sokkas of our political society that have become lokkas.