Interview with Don Samantha By Stan Miller
12/05/2022
Starting a month ago a large political battle is taking place in Sri Lanka. This island of 23 millions off the southern coast of India has know many social struggles in the 20th century. The working class is facing a 20% strong inflation that can go as high as 50% for basic goods. Electricity is being rationed and people are queuing for hours in order to get gasoline. The national debt is very high and there are discussions between the state and the IMF which will make working people pay the bill. The nepotism of the Rajapaksa clan in power (the president prime minister and several ministers are related- Mahinda the current prime minister was president between 2005 and 2015) who were mentioned for tax evasion in the Pandora Papers strengthens people’s anger. On Thursday the 12th Gota Rajapaska – the president – laid off his brother the prime minister – Mahinda – and appointed Ranil Wickramsinhe a liberal bourgeois politician. We have been fortunate to have a conversation with Don Samantha cingalese revolutionary trotskist in exile in France since 2009 because his life was under threat for his solidarity with Tamil people who were suffering a genocide.
By Stan Miller.
What is the current state of the mobilization?
The mobilization is strong among the youth the unions and the women’s movement. The issue of the economic crisis inflation and debt were a starting point. For a month there has been a continuous occupation in Galle Face square in front of the presidential palace with two demands: Gota should go home or go to jail. The economic crisis has been going on for two years and the traditional organizations (unions and parties) have not been doing a lot and were surprised by the mobilization. The biggest left party JVP [Maoist/nationalist with 3 seats in parliament] has for only goal to organize early elections and negotiate with the IMF. In Galle Face there is a true political awakening. Between 1000 and 5000 people occupy the square continuously where the protesters have built a library and restrooms to facilitate the occupation.
On the 9th of May Mahinda organized thugs from his village (2000 people) filled them with alcohol and gave them weapons to attack the occupation. The police helped the thugs and there has been casualties on both sides. They destroyed the occupation but the resolution of the protesters was so big that they rebuilt It instantly. Big mobilizations took place all over Sri Lanka in support of the occupation. Mahinda has also used the police and military against the occupation during the night. More than 30 houses of MPs burned without the ability to say who did it.
More than a thousand local unions called for a day of general strike on April 6. The students union controlled by the Maoists [frontline socialist party] have also stood in solidarity with the occupation. The organizations of the left, some of them trotskists [USFI or CWI] are part of the mobilization but are very weak.
What is the actual political discussion In Sri Lanka?
Wikcramesinhe is a professional politician who has been prime minister 5 times in the last 40 years. In the parliament he is supported by the two parties of the majority. He has a very negative balance sheet: in 1983 he was part of a government that killed thousands of tamils; in 1989 he supported the massacre of thousands of students and youth the JVP tried a coup. When Mahinda lost power in 2015 Wikcramesinhe was nominated prime minister in the name of national reconciliation and liberal good governance after thousands of tamils were killed in 2009. He did put in place some progressive measures like the independence of the electoral commission (which were previously controlled by the president). Wikcremesinhe was put in power for two reasons : 1) because of the mobilization it is impossible for Mahinda to remain in power and 2) Wikcremesinhe is a personal friend of the Rajapaksas and his nomination will prevent them from going to jail for corruption and violence against the population.
What is the current level of the economic crisis?
The main problem is inflation and debt. Mahinda has gotten many loans from the private market because the FMI will demand more criterias. The main lenders of Sri Lanka are China and India. The monetary reserve of the government is barely a week. Wikcremesinhe will negotiate with the IMF but the IMF considers that the current situation Is too unstable for a loan.
What is the current objective of the mobilization?
On May 10 a court order forbids the Rajapaksas to leave the country. The current objective is to get rid of the Rajapaksas.
