Lankan workers have begun their struggle!

by Dr Vickramabahu Karunaratne

(August 16, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Last week Malinda Seneviratne said in his column in Lakbimanews “Nothing will happen. Not to Sri Lanka and not to Mahinda Rajapaksa. The man won’t be unseated by the so-called ‘international community’, or, more precisely the guns-in-booty-out thugs that run it”. That is some thing I always emphasized. Why should the global masters including India and Israel, or their various agencies want to unseat a loyal servant such as Mahinda? The latter has done everything according to their wishes.

Having eliminated “terrorism”, as indicated by the global powers; using their weapons, ammunitions and methods of anti terror as practiced by them; now he is implementing their socio economic policy. He was given the finance by the lending organisations that act according to the Washington consensus. Workers are asked to tighten their belts; social welfare including education, health and inputs to agriculture are pruned; taxes and rates are increased for the poor while benefits are given to the rich. Obviously, the “war on terrorism” as indicated by president Bush and others, led inevitably to the destruction of villages, communities and traditional habitats of poor people. We see that in Iraq, Afghanistan and Latin America. We know, while all these were instigated by the global powers, they want to show that liberal democratic principles are respected in the global bourgeoisie society. So, time to time they appoint committees and also, instruct their puppets in the developing world to appoint committees to look into human rights violations. Mahinda as a loyal follower of these masters has appointed committees with respected figures from the legal profession as commissioners and investigators.

Military policy

In general, these committees either stop half way or hand over recommendations that do not affect the regime in any way. So, Mahinda has nothing to worry; especially with India and Israel standing behind him, like some mythical giants from the Mahawansa. He has consolidated state power by his military policy. Now he augments his state terror with political thuggery. Of course as a Bonaparte he has punished Mervyn to balance the protest from trade unions and democratic elements; but Mervyn and Wimal are doing his bidding. I would have thought only ‘ideologically myopic, intellectually slow bunch of apologists’ could deny that.

However, this state terror subsidized by political thuggery has not prevented the struggle of the working masses. It is not really this terror that has prevented the masses from coming out to fight against the insolent regime. More than the fear of the regime, the Sinhala chauvinist ideology that penetrated the work premises, is still an obstacle to mobilize the workers.

Predators

However, more and more leading elements now understand how the war was used as a route to enter by the predators of global capitalism. Except those who blindly follow the advice of Delhi neo Brahmins, Tamil radicals now realize the game played by the global masters and their agencies. Malinda goes on to say, “Well, whatever the logic is, Mervyn is making Rajapaksa lose support among many who would otherwise prefer him to the likes of Ranil, Mangala, Chandrika and Tilvin. It seems to me that Rajapaksa is not bothered because Ranil and Co are clearly not an ‘option’ at this point. This could change, not in favour of Ranil but in opposition to Rajapaksa, which is not the same thing. Someone else might cut in on the action at some point. Give Mervyn a free hand and that would soon become a plausible scenario”. What a prediction! Not only Mervyn, there are others; particularly those who betray the country to the powers of global capitalism and destroy all what we cherish as our wealth, traditions and heritage. When I say we, I mean Lankans of all nationalities; because one of the biggest crimes committed by the global capitalism is the elimination of identities of people and communities. We have to remember the words of the reactionary philosopher of global capitalism made in his thesis “End of history” in 1989. In the name of Liberal Democracy he justified the cruelty against would be nations.

Ethnic and nationalist violence

Francis Fukuyama said, “Conflict between states still in history, and between those states and those at the end of history, would still be possible. There would still be a high and perhaps rising level of ethnic and nationalist violence, since those are impulses incompletely played out, even in parts of the post-historical world. Palestinians and Kurds, Sikhs and Tamils, Irish Catholics and Walloons, Armenians and Azeris, will continue to have their unresolved grievances. This implies that terrorism and wars of national liberation will continue to be an important item on the international agenda.”

Behind philosophy, what he implied was cruel and reactionary. History has come to an end as Liberal Democracy of global capitalism. Hence all those residues of history should be wiped out. Still, after two decades these fascistic ideas haunt the politics of global capitalism. We are happy that these ideas are rejected by the international proletarian movement. On the other hand, already It has touched even the generally dormant University Teachers Association. We should be hopeful.

Mahinda has nothing to worry; especially with India and Israel standing behind him, like some mythical giants from the Mahawansa. He has consolidated state power by his military policy. Now he augments his state terror with political thuggery. Of course as a Bonaparte he has punished Mervyn to balance the protest from trade unions and democratic elements; but Mervyn and Wimal are doing his bidding. I would have thought only ‘ideologically myopic, intellectually slow bunch of apologists’ could deny that.