“The country is at a stage where people die of mosquito bites. The present administration cannot save the people even from mosquito bites. Death is the cheapest in the country. What we need is a country that nurtures life instead of death, happiness instead of sorrow and that consists of determined people who aspire for unity between Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers and Malays. The policies to build such a country are with the politics that changes the capitalist society and builds a new society. It is the JVP that could take such a political leadership as it has a clear vision of the future of this country and has dedication for such a task,” said the General Secretary of the JVP Comrade Tilvin Silva.
Speaking at the Convention of ‘Dhiriya’ Citizens’ Societies Comrade Tilvin Silva said, “Today we have convened leaders and representatives of ‘Dhiriya’ Citizens’ Societies that our party has built. It is the duty of all of them to make the people in our country aware of the crisis the country is confronted with at the moment and give them strength, determination and leadership at the village level to make a great beginning to end the pathetic situation. The aim of this convention is to guide them for this task.
Last year we started forming ‘Dhiriya Citizens’ Societies. It is necessary to understand why we did so. Today, our country is confronted with severe social, economic, political, cultural, educational, health as well as environmental issues. Some time back such issues existed for the downtrodden masses only. However, today, all others other than the few who owns administrative power who plunder people’s assets and resources have become prey to the crises. All including students, youths, women, fishing folk, farmers, business community, industrialists have become prey to these crises.
The production economy of the country has completely broken down and avenues of other beneficial economic avenues are gradually breaking down. As such, all sectors such as arts and culture as well as mass media are in crisis. Education and health have become a massive burden for the masses. Day by day the environment is speedily getting destroyed and the religion too has become a prey to the crisis. No sector has been spared by the crises the country is confronted with.
The ruling class too is in an unprecedented crisis. As a solution for this they set up a ‘joint’ government. Now the ‘joint’ government cannot take decisions and the two factions are in a tug-of-war. The existing capitalist socio-economic system has no solution for this crisis. The class that ruled the country for the last 68 years has dragged the country and the people to this precipice. Today, the whole country has been dumped in this stinking pit. The people will have to decide whether they continue to whirl in the dirty pit where they hve been dumped or come out of it. Bringing another capitalist government into power would make the pit deeper and make it difficult to come out of it. A gang calling themselves ‘civil society’ is attempting to keep the people in the pit forever. Instead of helping the people to come out of the stinking pit they are widening it and making it difficult for the people to come out of it. They try to prevent people coming out of the pit. We say the people need not stay in the pit to suffer any longer. We have only one solution. We should array new forces to salvage the country. A strong mass organization should be built to change and develop the country. For, this system cannot be repaired or patched up.
The country is at a stage where people die of mosquito bites. The present administration cannot save the people even from mosquito bites. Death is the cheapest in the country. What we need is a country that nurtures life instead of death, happiness instead of sorrow and that consists of determined people who aspire for unity between Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers and Malays. The policies to build such a country are with the politics that changes the capitalist society and builds a new society. It is the JVP that could take such a political leadership as it has a clear vision of the future of this country and has dedication for such a task. No other party or organization has the capability of achieving this. A people’s force should be built under the leadership of the JVP. The former ‘king’ has no solutions for any of the crises confronted by the country. Even the new princes do not have an answer for this. The elite families too don’t have an answer. Also, commanders of armed forces too don’t have any answers. Anyone aspiring to be crowned in this country would never have answers to the crises that are before the country today.
Some await Prince Diyasena. However, we have no right to be slaves to such myths. If we decide to come out of the stinking pit the country has been dragged into, we have to build a broad people’s force that has a programme to come out of the pit. It is the citizens, who came forward to build ‘Dhiriya’ Citizens’ Societies that could build such people’s forces. They should become the vanguard of this task and give leadership at grassroots level. People should be rallied under the theme ‘A society for the village, leadership for the village’.
We are at a stage that people should build a massive people’s force without allowing the capitalist class to take the leadership again. We need not allow any miscreant to deceive us. The aim of this convention is to give knowledge of escaping from being deceived and to help to give leadership to the people through ‘Dhiriya’ Citizens’ Societies. It is such people’s forces that could change this country and make it a pleasant place for all to live. All those who pioneered to form ‘Dhiriya’ Citizens’ Societies are present here today. Also, several renowned artistes including Sooriya Kumar Muththalage, S. Kalawathie, T.M. Jayarathna, Chandrasoma Binduhewa, Prasannajith Abeysuriya, Deppani Silva, Dilhani Ekanayaka have come here to give us strength. There are also university teachers as well as representatives of civil organizations and ministry secretaries.
Our initial task is to get the required knowledge necessary to change the country. We take the message to our villages that we would have determination and belief to give leadership to change this country. It is such a people’s force that could change the country and achieve victory for the people.”