The economic and political impasses of the imperialist capitalist system are felt on a world scale. Inflation, unemployment and cost of living are soaring in all countries. Also on the rise is the discontent, mass demonstrations and protests of the poverty stricken workers and labourers, whose working and living conditions are deteriorating. Almost every day there is news of rallies, protests, strikes and uprisings of workers and labouring peoples from one country to another.

Whilst the protests of the indigenous peoples, workers and labourers in Ecuador are still going on, the people of Sri Lanka stormed the palace of the President and the Prime Minister.

Sri Lanka has been brought to the point of bankruptcy by the profit greed of the monopolies, collaborators of imperialism, and the neoliberal policies and corruption of the ruling profiteering political caste. Unemployment and prices have escalated. The most basic necessities cannot be imported due to lack of foreign currency. Long-term power cuts began. Schools were closed. Foreign debts became unpayable.

People have been on the streets since March and eventually they occupied the Presidential Palace, demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation. He fled the country and is now travelling around looking for a refuge. He then sent his resignation. Being a “hero” by bloodily suppressing the resistance of the Tamil people by escalating nationalism was not enough to save his presidency. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is now acting as his deputy declared a state of emergency and asked the military and police to stop the demonstrations. The people, on the other hand, continue their demonstrations demanding his resignation.

The people of Sri Lanka and the leaders of the uprising have an important responsibility at this stage. As in similar uprisings before, they need to insist on self-determination and not surrender their gains to different cliques of the bourgeoisie. The people must succeed in bringing out from within their movement the organs of power that will be the basis of their sovereignty.

Power partnerships with different cliques of the bourgeoisie, interim government traps, electoral promises tied to reform and the continuation of the existing order will only extinguish the fire of the uprising and ensure the continuation of the old order under different names.

Those who have dragged Sri Lanka into an economic and political quagmire cannot save the country. The programmes they will present as prescriptions for “salvation” can only further impoverish the people and condemn them to hunger, and consolidate the political domination of the bourgeoisie.

The workers and labourers of the world stand with the Sri Lankan people. Their victory and experience will be a shared value for us all.

We salute and support the struggle of the Sri Lankan people.

Coordinating Committee,
International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations (ICMLPO)

Click here to return to the September 2022 index.