Our country was battered by a 30 year war. The number died in the war is still unknown. The cost of assets that were destroyed has not been estimated. The earth was soaked with blood. The land was washed with tears. Throughout history Sinhalese communalism, Tamil communalism and Muslim communalism were used to come to power and maintain it. The children of ordinary people in the North, South or the East are not responsible for such tragedies. Communalism was spread in the North and the South to come to power. The country was dragged towards a war. The children of the ordinary people died in the war. There are 40,000 widows of war in the North alone. There are 2500 orphans who have lost both their parents. The war destroyed humanity, unity, lives and property. The lives lost were that of the ordinary people not of the rulers. Rulers sow communalism. They adorn power, create conflicts, amass wealth. Our country need not be dragged into another war again. They say they have Sinhalese blood or Tamil blood or Muslim blood. However, we have only human blood. We have a struggle against all sorts of communalisms. As long as the Socialist Youth Union and the JVP are active in this country there would be no possibility for any type of communal conflict. Do we need a society in which people look at each other in hate and fury? A country should be crated where all Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and Malay people live in harmony. The Socialist Youth Union has fulfilled a significant role in building national unity in the country. Youths of the Socialist Youth Union representing all areas in the country including Jaffna, Vavuniya, Killinochchi, Batticaloa, Troncomalee, Ampara, Hambantota, Matara have come to this historic Convention. This Convention is a symbol of National Unity. Do we need a division according to religion, language and race? There should not be room for such a division. The Socialist Youth Union has a special task in taking the message against communalism to the youth. It could and should be won,” said the Leader of the JVP Comrade Anura Dissanayaka addressing the 3rd National Convention of the Socialist Youth Union (SYU) held at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday (28th).
Speaking further Comrade Anura Dissanayaka said, “The youth that decide in which direction the country should be guided have assembled here today. We believe that the task the Socialist Youth Union has undertaken and has been assigned is very special. We believe the 3rd National Convention is the strong opening step towards completing this task successfully. Do our country and our world need to move along the same dilapidated path they have been taking? Capitalism is confronted with the biggest breakdown it has come across in its history. Former US President George Bush too had to say that the financial crisis that began in the USA in 2008 would spread to all countries with a domino effect. The head of Bank of England said that the UK has been confronted with the biggest financial crisis after 1929. He said allocations for health and education would be slashed. Greece has been already named the failed state of Europe. Spain has brought a proposal to cut workers’ salaries by 5%. Workers in Portugal encircle the Parliament. Factories in Italy are being closed down. People are losing their jobs. Capitalism is in crisis on a worldwide scale. The only solution for capitalism is exploiting the countries in the periphery. Capitalism has no way for people’s wellbeing. It can only drag people towards wars, invasions and conflicts. Our country is within this broken-down capitalism.
What is the issue in Sri Lanka today? Everyone in our country , the farmers, employees in state and private sector, youths, adults, children are craving for education, employment, a place to live, healthy life and mental soundness. Ours is an impotent state that has not been able to fulfill the needs of our people. In this state the youth has been made into human dust. Every year about 360,000 are admitted to Grade One. Every year 60,000 leave school before the G.C.E. O/L examination. What happens to their lives? Despite 200,000 pass the A/L examination every year, only about 25,000 get admitted to universities. Only 1/12 gets higher education. What future is for those who get ousted from education? Every year about 330,000 enter the labour market in our country. Only 35,000 jobs are created in the private sector annually. About 60,000 retire from the state sector every year. Hence, annually more than 200,000 suffer from unemployment.
Today our country has become a state where 3.1 million youths are unemployed or underemployed. Where does a youths life lead to if he doesn’t have an income? In 2014 about 340000 have left for foreign employment. Only about 4% of this number went as professionals. All others went as house maids. Do youths have a life if they do not have an education and employment? This is the life of a majority in our country.
On the contrary, how is the lives lead by the children of our rulers? Children of the Minister of Education do not have their education here. The Minister of Health doesn’t trust our medical service for his ailments. Sports is only for the children of the rulers. Assassinations too are carried out for the victories of rulers’ children. Thajudeen’s murder is one such murder. Rulers lead youths astray to swell up their children’s income. Hence, youths of the country have a struggle for the right to live. Don’t they need a life, mental soundness, entertainment? As such, the youths should gain their lives back. This is why Socialism is necessary for life and the future. Youths have a big responsibility and struggle to achieve this.
Do we have a righteous society to live in? In our country the number of people who commit suicide daily is 14. It is the third position in the whole world. 280 attempt suicide daily. Youths between the ages of 10 and 29 are the most who are vulnerable for suicide. This society has become one that forces people to commit suicide. 5200 have died in motor accidents within a period of 11 months last year. A large number of youths have got addicted to drugs. There are about 100,000 who are gravely addicted to drugs in our country. These are only known statistics. Can this society go forward? Hence, this society should be compulsorily changed. In this task the SYU that represents youths of the country has the responsibility of completing the task in victory. Can we trust our children and their future to such a society? Hence, the challenge is before us.
Our country was battered by a 30 year war. The number died in the war is still unknown. The cost of assets that were destroyed has not been estimated. The earth was soaked with blood. The land was washed with tears. Throughout history Sinhalese communalism, Tamil communalism and Muslim communalism were used to come to power and maintain it. The children of ordinary people in the North, South or the East are not responsible for such tragedies. Communalism was spread in the North and the South to come to power. The country was dragged towards a war. The children of the ordinary people died in the war. There are 40,000 widows of war in the North alone. There are 2500 orphans who have lost both their parents. The war destroyed humanity, unity, lives and property. The lives lost were that of the ordinary people not of the rulers. Rulers sow communalism. They adorn power, create conflicts, amass wealth. Our country need not be dragged into another war again. They say they have Sinhalese blood or Tamil blood or Muslim blood. However, we have only human blood. We have a struggle against all sorts of communalisms. As long as the Socialist Youth Union and the JVP are active in this country there would be no possibility for any type of communal conflict. Do we need a society in which people look at each other in hate and fury? A country should be created where all Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and Malay people live in harmony. The Socialist Youth Union has fulfilled a significant role in building national unity in the country. Youths of the Socialist Youth Union representing all areas in the country including Jaffna, Vavuniya, Killinochchi, Batticaloa, Troncomalee, Ampara, Hambantota, Matara have come to this historic Convention. This Convention is a symbol of National Unity. Do we need a division according to religion, language and race? There should not be room for such a division. The Socialist Youth Union has a special task in taking the message against communalism to the youth. It could and should be won.
Our society is full of delusions. Soothsayers bet on horses. Some others say gods come to Katharagama. In TV channels in the morning individuals with conch shells and necklaces around their necks predict the future of the country. A state full of delusions, unscience and ignorance is being created. Various guises are employed to drag the society towards ignorance, delusions and unsicence. Hence, youths have the responsibility of building a society that rejects delusions, unscience and ignorance but beckons science. Let’s conserve various beliefs, folklore and legends. Let’s use them for the richness of our history. However, they cannot do anything to solve issues of the present day. Hence SYU has a struggle against unscience, delusions and ignorance.
Also, we need a political youth movement. This is not a movement to promote the son as the President after father retires or a youth movement that makes the son a MP when the father becomes a minister. The SYU has the responsibility of raising high the banner of Socialism and taking it forward until victory and the society is changed.
There is the need to build the broadest movement consisting of artistes, writers, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, trade union representatives, farmer representatives and politicians. The clownish, impotent and antiquated politics cannot take the country forward. The need is for a political movement that engages in novel politics. Leaders should come not only at national level but at the grass-roots level as well. The youth power should be added to this movement. The SYU is responsible for the spirit, strength and power for this struggle. You, who have come here should take this responsibility on your shoulders. You have that ability and strength.
You should be the youth who struggle for justice instead of the weakling that bends down before injustice; the youth that struggles for science and reality instead of the nitwit that indulges in unscience and ignorance. We need a youth that struggles for the truth instead of the coward who becomes dumb in front of falsehood. It is such a youth that could change this country and the world. There is no doubt that SYU would guide the youths of our country along a new path that would make the wishes of our people a reality.
We invite everyone here, with the knowledge, courage, trust, determination they gathered at this 3rd National Congress of the SYU, to rally for a broad social transformation. We should get youths of your village, the whole country to this path. This journey could end in victory. We are definite that Sri Lanka would be the newest Socialist state that would be created in this century. We have to be more knowledgeable and vigilant for this to win our challenges. Long live 3rd National Convention of the SYU. We wish the new leadership of SYU strength and determination to take the country and the people along a new political journey.”