Progressives win Sri Lankan elections

Vernon Abeysekera

At the general elections held on April 2, Chandrika Kumaratunga's 
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (the SLFP) in collaboration with the 
Communist Party, the Trotskyite LSSP and the recently registered 
JVP (People's Liberation Front) triumphed.

These parties won a total of 105 seats in a 225-seat parliament 
which means that they do not hold a majority and will have to win 
the support of other smaller parties and groups (such as Buddhist 
monks) to govern and maintain stability.

Their closest rival, the United National Party (UNP), which made 
up the previous government, won 82 seats.

For some time the President and the Prime Minister had been at 
loggerheads and this conflict could only be resolved by resort to 
a general election.

Mrs Kumaratunga's Freedom Party had consistently followed left of 
centre policies.

The UNP on the other hand, led by the PM Ranil Wickremasinghe, 
had been equally consistently conservative.

This apparent contradiction was contributed to by the fact that 
elections to the post of President and to Parliament had taken 
place at different times.

A former UNP leader had drafted the present Constitution when his 
party came to power in 1977. His major concern at that time was 
to consolidate his own power.

In the numerous clashes that had taken place between the 
President and the PM, the most serious disagreement was on the 
conduct of the peace negotiations with the rebel Tamil Tiger 
group.

The PM and the Cabinet had secured a "cease-fire'", which has now 
lasted over two years. This was naturally welcomed by all 
sections of the people, but the President had argued that the 
"cease-fire" was obtained at too heavy a price.

She pointed specifically to the measures taken by the Tigers to 
strengthen their position in the territories annexed by them — 
the setting up of police stations and magistrates' courts and the 
imposition of a rough and ready system of taxation.

The SLFP went to the polls with the collaboration of two old 
allies, the Communist Party and the Trotskyite LSSP, and was 
joined by the JVP.

The CP and LSSP shared power with the SLFP in the '60s, '70s and 
within the last ten years, and at various times held some 
important portfolios — Finance, Transport, Housing, Public Works 
and Constitutional Affairs.

There was some speculation that if the UNP won the elections it 
might attempt to reach an agreement with the Tamil National 
Alliance, which had been supported by the Tigers. However, the 
electors rejected the UNP and Mrs Kumaratunga was quick to 
announce her victory.

She has already appointed a stalwart of the Freedom Party, 
Mahinda Rajapakse, as her Prime Minister.

The new Government has a heavy work load ahead. Foreign affairs 
should present few problems as Mrs Kamaranatunga is bound to 
continue the policy of non-alignment, a course taken by Sri 
Lankan governments for many years.

She is unlikely to bend over backwards to appease the USA, as so 
many other leaders in the world have done recently.

Her more serious problems will be at home — promoting commerce, 
trade and tourism, and maintaining peace and harmony in a multi-
racial, multi-religious society.

Her toughest problem, however, will be to find a solution to what 
is generally referred to as the "ethnic issue".

She will first have to reach a lasting agreement with the Tigers 
and then, most important of all, satisfy the legitimate demands 
of the Tamils, the largest minority in the country.

She will have the goodwill of all progressive people in the 
world.