Statement by the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) on the Temporary Suspension of Continuous Strike Action

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) has decided to temporarily suspend the current form of strike action undertaken by its members and explore alternative forms of protest that will allow for long-term engagement with the people’s struggle. The decision to suspend the current form of strike action was reached at a meeting of the Board of Representatives held on 13^th May 2022. University academics will resume their involvement in teaching-learning activities primarily to avoid the further stagnation of university students’ education. However, we categorically state that this suspension of strike action is not in any way a condoning of the current undemocratic management of the country’s political and economic crises.

The continuous strike action was declared on 10^th May 2022 to protest the gross violations of citizens’ rights that were carried out by state-sponsored parties when the MainaGoGama and GotaGoGama (Colombo) protest sites were attacked without provocation. FUTA demanded that an explanation be offered regarding why government resources were utilized to host the attackers at Temple trees prior to the attacks on the protest sites; that swift legal action be taken against those who had instigated and carried out the attacks on the peaceful protestors; that the President of the country and the Inspector General of Police resign immediately in view of their failure to prevent this violence; and that an impartial investigation be carried out to look into the conduct of the Police and the armed forces during this incident. We note with strong displeasure that none of the concerns raised have been addressed so far. However, FUTA remains committed to demanding justice and accountability regarding these incidents of unprovoked violence and state capture.

FUTA reiterates its demand that the President heed the wishes of the people and resign. We strongly condemn his undemocratic exercise of power and his blatant disregard for the people’s demands. We remain committed to supporting the people’s struggle through alternative means of engagement.

FUTA will continue to engage with other trade unions and like-minded groups to ensure the success of the people’s struggle. We recognize the need for long-term engagement and are committed to exploring alternate ways of resisting further attempts to delegitimize the people’s demands.
—
Rohan Laksiri

General Secretary
Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA)

Sri Lanka has a new prime minister but there is controversy over the choice. There is criticism that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa continues to use his presidential powers in an arbitrary manner in a continuation of practices that have led to the present crisis.  In facing the unprecedented economic and political crisis that grips the country, and widespread public protests, President Rajapaksa pledged to set up an interim government in consultation with party leaders in parliament.   However, he did not do so but appointed UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister much to the consternation of all opposition political parties and thereby ended efforts of other parliamentarians to form a national unity government. 

The new prime minister brings to his job many years of experience as a five-time prime minister with an unbroken record of more than four decades in parliament. However, he has a very challenging task ahead of him.  As the prime minister’s party has only a single seat in parliament, he needs to work in parliament with those from other political parties who are professionals and have a different ethos and have different political interests, but also have the welfare of the country at heart. It must be remembered that this is not a usual government but one established for the revival of the country from moral and economic collapse. Thus, it needs to be very different in those it chooses to hold public office whether from within or from outside parliament.

The National Peace Council wishes Prime Minister Wickremesinghe success in restoring economic and political stability and emphasises that facilitating the restoration of the broken trust between the government and people should be one of his important objectives.  It is an opportunity given to the new prime minister to prove himself beyond parochial and familial affiliations and politics, as his success or failure will determine the future of Sri Lanka. For this he needs to build a consensus within parliament that includes the opposition political parties. It is our wish that all support him in this common task of recovery.  

The National Peace Council also highly appreciates the commitment of the civic and political activists who have been engaging in public protest and advocacy at Galle Face and elsewhere for over a month without a break, and whose sacrifice has made political change possible.  We denounce the use of violence by government-sponsored goons and by anti-government groups and individuals. The killing of people and the torching of buses and private property, including hotels that gave employment to hundreds of people, is especially unacceptable in a time of economic downturn.  We are mindful that the resignation of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced upon him due to the attack on peaceful protestors by local politicians from the ruling party who were instigated to violence.  It would also be important to ascertain who else was responsible for fomenting the violence and hold them accountable before the law. 

We call for a structural transformation within the country in which corruption, bigotry and violence is made impermissible.  We also call upon President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to honor the commitments he has recently made.  The first of these would be to repeal the 20^th Amendment without delay and within the next two weeks and transfer executive powers to parliament. We also call for a short time frame to be announced by the president and prime minister regarding the abolishing of the presidency and the holding of fresh general elections. 

National Peace Council of Sri Lanka

Colombo, 15^th May 2022:

On behalf of the Secretary-General and the United Nations Country Team in Sri Lanka, I send my warmest wishes to all celebrating the Day of Vesak.

“Hatred is, indeed, never appeased by hatred in this world. It is appeased only by loving-kindness.”

As Sri Lanka and the world journey through these troubled times, may this teaching of the Buddha from the Dhammapada guide you.

His message of compassion, tolerance, and respect for one another are true today as they were over 2500 years ago.

Acknowledging the contributions of Buddhism to the world, an eminent Sri Lankan the then Foreign Minister Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, brought a proposal to the United Nations General Assembly to make the Buddhist holy day an International Observance Day. Vesak was thus declared a Day of Observance by a General Assembly Resolution in 1999.

Today the United Nations stands with Sri Lanka, we admire the resilience shown by her people, and are hopeful of a peaceful recovery from the current crisis.

It is only with compassion, and purity of intent, that present challenges can be overcome.

“Not to do evil, to cultivate merit, to purify one’s mind – this is the Teaching of the Buddhas.”

Hanaa Singer-Hamdy
Resident Coordinator
United Nations in Sri Lanka
15 May 2022

MP Sagara Kariyawasam, Secretary General of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), speaking to reporters after a discussion with the President at the President’s House this evening (14) said his party will be supporting any decision (taken by the new government) that benefits the mission of recovering the country from its economic abyss.

The main objective of the SLPP would be saving the country’s economy, he noted, adding that they, as a party bound to their independence, will support the new government.

MIAP

The new Sri Lankan PM is the man many Lankans love to hate – the enigmatic Ranil Wickremesinghe. He was sworn in as the Prime Minister for a record sixth time yesterday by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Wickremesinghe is the Leader of the United National Party (UNP) and the go-to man whenever Sri Lanka’s economy is in dire straits. In 2001 when the country, under the Executive Presidency of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was on the verge of bankruptcy, it was Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who managed to reverse the tide.

Yet again in 2015 when Sri Lanka was nearly bankrupted by the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, it was once again Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who came to the rescue. However, both in 2001 and in 2015, Wickremesinghe’s attempts to rescue and rebuild Sri Lanka’s economy were undermined by opposing political elements.

Ranil Wickremesinghe hails from an old-money, aristocratic political family and is the nephew of Sri Lanka’s first Executive President, J R Jayewardene. After graduating from the University of Ceylon he qualified as an advocate from the Ceylon Law College in the early 1970s. He became actively involved in politics through Sri Lanka’s “grand old party”, the UNP.

Wickremesinghe was first elected to Parliament at the 1977 parliamentary elections and was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs by his uncle, President J. R. Jayewardene. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment, becoming the youngest Cabinet Minister in Sri Lanka. Subsequently, President Ranasinghe Premadasa appointed him as the Minister of Industry, Science and Technology as well as the Leader of the House.

Both in 2001 and in 2015, Wickremesinghe’s attempts to rescue and rebuild Sri Lanka’s economy were undermined by opposing political elements

Following the assassination of President Premadasa, Prime Minister D B Wijetunge assumed the mantle of the President and Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the Prime Minister. During his first stint as the Premier, Wickremesinghe was credited for taking Sri Lanka through a massive economic transformation. 

Following the assassination of the UNP Leader and Presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake in 1994, Wickremesinghe became the Leader of the UNP.

At the 1999 Presidential election, Ranil Wickremesinghe was nominated as the UNP’s Presidential candidate.  Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga – leader of the coalition Peoples Alliance (PA) party – was his rival Presidential candidate. During the election campaign Kumaratunga lost her right eye to a LTTE suicide bomber. The Presidential election held soon after saw a wave of sympathy votes sweeping Chandrika Kumaratunga to victory. 

The PA government led by Kumaratunga for six years was facing increasing criticism on two fronts; a series of military defeats at the hands of the LTTE and a stuttering economy. 

Subsequently, the United National Front coalition (UNF) led by Ranil Wickremesinghe won the 2001 Parliamentary general election. Thus, Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the 17th Sri Lankan PM in December 2001.

Sri Lanka now had a President – Chandrika Kumaratunga – from one party and the Prime Minister from another. However, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was able to appoint his own Cabinet of Ministers. 

Three months after coming to power, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government entered into a ceasefire agreement (CFA) with LTTE, facilitated by Norway. Thereafter, Wickremesinghe was able to win the confidence of the International Community and gain their support to assist Sri Lanka’s development initiatives. The ceasefire led to the Tokyo Donor Conference on Reconstruction and Development of the war-ravaged country, where Sri Lanka received over 4.5 billion dollars as aid. 

With the CFA in place, Sri Lanka was once again seen as safe for tourism after decades of war. Thus, the tourism industry began to boom.

The A9 Highway, the only land route connecting the South of the country with the Northern Jaffna peninsula, was reopened after 18 years. 

With the signing of the CFA, Ranil Wickremesinghe had several rounds of peace talks with the LTTE between 2002 and 2003. Wickremesinghe is said to have cunningly fanned the internecine feuds within the LTTE, thereby systematically weakening them. And, a foreign policy was designed to tighten the international noose around the LTTE.

International agreements were signed allowing Sri Lanka to obtain assistance in military training, military technology, intelligence, special training in counter-terrorism and direct monetary assistance for military development. In the event of the CFA failing, the forward-thinking Wickremesinghe got the  United States Pacific Command assessment team to carry out a study and make recommendations to strengthen the capabilities of the Sri Lanka’s Army,  Navy and the Air Force. 

The Opposition and Sri Lanka’s nationalistic movements strongly opposed the CFA and the overall peace process masterminded by the Sri Lankan PM. Thus, President Chandrika Kumaratunga, using her constitutional powers, sacked three Ministers of the Wickremesinghe led cabinet, thereby ending the incompatible coalition between herself and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

Wickremesinghe was the chosen UNP Presidential candidate for the 2005 Presidential Elections. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the then Prime Minister, was nominated as the Presidential candidate of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Wickremesinghe was defeated narrowly by Rajapaksa. A large number of Tamils in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country were expected to back Wickremesinghe but were prevented from voting by the LTTE. This made way for Mahinda Rajapaksa to take over the powerful Executive Presidency of Sri Lanka. 

Late 2014, with several electoral defeats behind Wickremesinghe, the UNP along with several other parties decided to field the then Secretary-General of the SLFP, Maithripala Sirisena as the Common Candidate for the Presidential Election to be held in January 2015. Sirisena pledged to appoint Ranil Wickremesinghe, as the Prime Minister if he were to win. Common Candidate Sirisena won the election and was sworn is as the 7th Executive President of Sri Lanka. And as per his pledge, he appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister. 

With the former Finance Minister, Ali Sabry dropping a bombshell in Parliament last week, stating that Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves were down to a mere 50 million dollars, Wickremesinghe will now be called upon to make some very unpalatable decisions to put the country’s economy back on track.

February 2015 saw the infamous Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s bond scandal – “Bond Scam” – unfold. President Sirisena together with a group of Ministers from his party attempted to pass a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, but failed. From thereon, the President and Prime Minister were at loggerheads. 

In October 2018, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe survived a Constitutional coup when President Sirisena removed him from office and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister. Following rulings by both the Supreme court and Appeal court, Wickremesinghe was reinstated as the Prime Minister.

At the 2019 Presidential election the UNP Deputy Leader, Sajith Premadasa was nominated as the party’s Presidential candidate. He was eventually defeated by the popular Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

Following his defeat, Premadasa defected from the UNP along with 52 of the 77 party members and formed the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) -or ‘United People’s Power’. The SJB contested the 2020 Parliamentary elections which resulted in a landslide victory for the Rajapaksa controlled political party; Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

The UNP – ‘Grand Old Party’ – suffered its worst defeat in its history and failed to secure a single seat in Parliament save for a single National List seat. Ranil Wickremesinghe returned to Parliament via the single National list seat.

With Mahinda Rajapaksa exiting the Premiership along with his government, Sajith Premadasa as the leader of the main Opposition in Parliament, laid down four conditions in order to accept the Premiership. One of the conditions was requesting President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign.

An obviously piqued President Rajapaksa, in a dramatic move, appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister.

The six-times Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has an unenviable task ahead of him. With the former Finance Minister, Ali Sabry dropping a bombshell in Parliament last week, stating that Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves were down to a mere 50 million dollars, Wickremesinghe will now be called upon to make some very unpalatable decisions to put the country’s economy back on track.

The IMF on 7 May issued a statement saying Sri Lanka’s debt has been assessed as unsustainable and approval of IMF financing would require adequate assurances that debt sustainability will be restored. 

Since independence from Britain in 1948, Sri Lanka experienced such economic hardships only once before in the early 70s; under Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s SLFP government.

inmathi