Bahas: Issue 7 Sri Lanka in deep social, economic and political crisis: An analysis

Bahas: Issue 7

Sri Lanka in deep social, economic and political crisis: An analysis

(The working class and its revolutionary party lost revolutionary opportunity to take over the state power, once again)

We all, especially the Indians, know about Sri Lanka, a small island, with a population of slightly more than 20 million (2 Crore), where IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) was stationed in 1987 for almost 3 years to "help" the then government to stabilize the country, which was battling a bloody war against LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) led armed struggle, but very soon was crushing the LTTE with all the might. By the way, for first few days, the Indian soldiers used to be in very friendly relation with the LTTE militants, giving and accepting food and gifts, as they had not gone there to crush their revolt against the Colombo repression.

Present Sri Lankan crisis started about 3-4 months back, when the people found market was unable to supply them petrol, diesel, oil, food, etc. Whatever was available, were very expensive, like food and scarcity of electricity became normal. World Food Program (WFP) feared, about 4.9 million (49 lakhs) people were on verge of starvation.

Last many weeks, people were on roads, protesting against the ex-President and now the new regime, demanding the resignation of all the old rulers. However, the protesting people had no vision to capture the state power themselves, as there was no revolutionary party, with a revolutionary idea or vision, to educate themselves, the protesting mass and lead them.

Sri Lanka was reeling under heavy loan, more than 50 billion USD (50 Aarab $), of which 50% was from the world market. Inability to pay back was due destruction of tourism (25% of the population are dependent on tourism) during Coronavirus Pandemic and even earlier due Easter explosion (on 21 April, 2019), in which 269 people were killed and more than 500 injured, in a terrorist attack.

Rajapaksa clan, based on personality cult, and polarization of the masses on religion, could do nothing to save the economic disaster. President Gotabaya fled the country (in his second effort, as in first one, he was not allowed by the migration staff) via Male (Maldives) to Singapore and "officially" resigned as President on 14 Jul, 2022. A "strong" and charismatic President, loved by the Buddhists, the majorities of Sri Lanka, had got more than 40 thousand Tamilians and hundreds of activists, journalists, Leftists killed and was hailed as the "emancipator" of the country.

An emergency was declared by him on 01 April, 2022 to suppress the mass revolt, but that further fueled the movement and was withdrawn. Now after his departure, the new government has again declared emergency. 

It must be noted that Sri Lankan's closeness with China was not liked by the USA and even by India. Biden administration removed its name from Democratic Summit in 2021, where both India and Pakistan were invited.

Background: Loan in 2019 was close to 36 billion USD (Arab $). Sri Lanka's loan from China was 10% of the whole debt, WB and ADB another 10%, and from US, Japan and other European monopoly banks was 80%. The bail out was offered by IMF, like it happens elsewhere. IMF loans are always with terms and conditions, which are designed not really to bail out the victim country, but rope it deeply, in a vicious circle, a whirlwind, which only drowns the victim or the target further. One of the conditions is always to cut down the subsidies (food, fertilizers, electricity, transportation, healthcare and education system, etc.) and welfare measure of the people. Another one is absolute destruction of labor laws, environment laws to favor the capitalist class in increasing profit rate and cut down its taxes and waive off the unpaid taxes and loans. Farm laws in most of the Latin, African and in India had been invented and implemented to rout the peasants from the land, convert them into agricultural workers and extract maxim profit from the agricultural land. Wherein the corporates always get the most of the benefits of such aids. Most of the Constitutions of the developed or undeveloped countries (in fact the state itself) favor the elite or the ruling class and not the proletarian class.

IMF, WB and other monopoly banking system forced Sri Lanka to produce goods for international market and earn profit, rather for home consumption. This helps finance capital to extract maximum profit, plunder the victim nations; monopolize their natural resources and public property, banks, etc. Law of uneven development, in capitalism, works within a country as well as globally. And the effect can be seen in some parts of the world, both ruination or rise of a country economically.

Remember, Khrushchev advising Enver Hoxha to pay more attention on agriculture and small industries rather on heavy industrialization; and the needed industrial products would be imported from USSR, while grains, other non-industrial and small goods or products would be exported from Albania?

Revolutionary Situation of Sri Lanka: When thousands of people had captured the Presidential residence and hundreds of thousands were in street, when police as well as army were immobilized or incapacitated and the PM resigned, the President ran away from the country, the so-called revolutionary forces, Communists were just part of the crowd, bystanders of a "revolution", rather marching forward to take over the state, establish their own state and machinery. 

New President Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected and sworn in on 21 Jul, 2022 and next day, that is on 22 July 2022, he ordered his Military, police and police special forces to raid the "anti-government protest camp" outside the President's office. All the soldiers were in riot gears. This joint operation was carried out in early morning, in which 7 were arrested and 50 were beaten and injured. One of the activists said, the police beat them mercilessly and wondered if the new President knows what is democratic rights of the "peaceful" protestors! While the police spokesperson said, "They (The protestors) have no legal rights to hold it"!!

The new Prime Minister is a political old-timer. Dinesh Gunawardena is the leader of the Trotskyist majority nationalist Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), which is a constituent party of Sri Lanka's ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). He has served as foreign and education minister of the country and recently was appointed as Home Minister by the outgoing President in April, 2022. As good as social democrats, part of parliamentarian politics, they (He, his family and his party, Lanka Sama Samaja Party, SMPP) have enjoyed all the pay, perks from the bourgeois class. To expect them to lead a proletarian revolution, establish Dictatorship of the Proletarian Class, after demolishing the old state and build socialism by negating private property is absolute utopia.

Lost opportunity, as these leaders and the party cadres never thought of revolution, neither were ready for that, and it seems they never appreciated the qualitative changes that occurs and leads to a revolutionary situation, presenting an opportunity for the proletarian class to take over the old state power, demolish it and build its own state. No socialist society can ever be built while the state power is in the hands of the bourgeois class. What maximum can happen is, a pro people government, ensuring "again" some subsidy and welfare measures, but this balance of power between the capitalist class and the proletarian class is never stable, but changes and in due course, when the unity of the working class and the oppressed people weakens, the bourgeois class retakes the state power in its earlier form, may be with different mask, depending on new situation, and all the 'concessions' given to the people are withdrawn. India is an example. 

We had similar situations elsewhere, where we lost opportunity and what we gained was an analysis of the past situation, learn the lessons again and again. Did we not have an opportunity in Kazakhstan recently? Earlier in Chile, under the leadership of Allende, in Burkina Faso, under the leadership of Thomas Sankara, and, recently even in in Bolivia and Venezuela? In India in 1946, when the Indian soldiers mutinied against the British Raj, some opportunity existed for the CPI.

Well, we have examples of many Social Democracy in the world; in social imperialist China, Scandinavian and Latin American countries. Yes, the leaders of the stated countries, who are over satisfied with their power and people's "support", are unaware of the sword hanging over their necks, created due deep irreconcilable, rising contradictions in capitalism and by the US imperialism, allies and NATO, the finance capital through institutionalization, like IMF, WB. Even many Communist Parties, in these countries, are doing service to their respective countries, playing the role of "opposition".

The Communist Parties of Sri Lanka had given up their class struggle (a direct confrontation between the capitalist class and the working class), leading to the question of the state power. Self-education, educating the masses, working in the military, para-military forces, police were not part of their syllabus. Underground or legal or semi-legal works were buried and constitution was upheld. Now, they are waiting for next election to come to power and build socialism!! End of the present Sri Lankan crisis or the revolt of the people?