Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002

Dear Friends,

Please accept my sincere best wishes for year 2002 to all of PGA-Asia members.

Another election to the parliament in Sri Lanka has been concluded and a new government has now been formed. The elections turned out to be a mini civil war. The country witnessed a period of terror and violence from the time of the election campaign started in November. There were for instance brutal killing of around 50 innocent persons and well over 2500 acts of violence in less than a month and a half. This is due to the militarized situation that prevails in Sri Lanka.

The election campaign of the UNP that won the elections was centred round peace and negotiations with the LTTE. On the other hand the PA the party that was in power and several others appealed to the racial sentiments in people during the elections to capture votes.

In the context of violence we could not organize any activity regarding the WTO meeting in Doha. Our first meeting immediately after the elections on the WTO and Globalisation was well attended.

The following points were discussed.

• The need to fighting against the suppressions of Democratic Rights, Racism, Narrow Nationalism, Chauvinism, Promotion of War.
• Counteracting the plans of global capitalism.
• As a strategy, it was agreed to bring together all those organisations of the Farmers, Workers, Citizens' groups and the Environmental organisations who have struggled in various ways to protect the farmers' lands in Monaragala from the Sugar Multinationals in the early 1980s, those who struggled for Peace and Democracy in the 1990s, all the organisations which struggled for the protection of common water rights and rising milk prices during the last few years and so on.
• To form a joint, collaborated effort among all those people's organisations and groups to unite all their strengths in order to face the challenges of globalization.
• It was agreed that it is necessary in the long run to have a common vision and strategy.

The second meeting on Saturday the 5th January and agreed on the following points.

• The results of recently held elections clearly manifested people's rejection of such racialism and chauvinism and the aspirations of people of all communities for peace. It was same when Chandrika the present President was elected in 1994.
• The whole country has clearly approved the need to work together to achieve a negotiated political settlement to the war and the ethnic crisis. In spite of this repeated emphasis and approval given by people of all ethnicities, the tremendous racist propaganda carried out during the election campaigns, have not helped in the efforts and the will of the people to reach a negotiated peaceful settlement to the war, but would only pave the way for an escalated war strategy. The danger of such a change of direction from what has been promised can not be totally ruled out.
• The sudden decision to hold an election which brought the UNP into power, the party which established market economy in the country in 1977, was a result of a manipulation of the business community. Otherwise the election is due only in 4 years. The result now is that a very rightist party took over power.
• The leftist parties lost out badly and even the reformist left within the ruling party too got defeated.
• The kind of peace which the business community promotes through the UNP is not the kind of peace that the wide masses wish to have. Peace is not be merely a creation of an atmosphere where physical resources and cheap labour can be safely exploited without opposition from people or business can be conducted freely without constraints.
• Peace that people mean is justice done to all communities in all place and times.
• The proposal from the Private Sector and the Business Community to form a "Strong and National Government" in view of bringing about peace, forging the unity of the major capitalist political parties, with the consent of even of the religious leadership was not mere for 'peace' but also for strengthening the influence of the market. Their aim is to carry forward the agenda of the Global Capitalism that has been put forward by the World Bank, International Monitory Fund (IMF).
• The reforms in the labour and land market, privatization of water, rain forests, fauna and flora and food production are some of the urgent demands of the market.
• The water privatization process is to be resumed. A new ministry has already been made for water management by the new government. The printing of schools books will also to be privatized.
• The IMF representative in Sri Lanka immediately after the election observed that labour reforms has to be implemented without giving into the demands of the pressure groups.
• Such investor friendly approach of the Free Market model can not be reconciled with the idea of genuine 'Peace Movement'. Thus, the UNP sponsored by the business community will have severe repercussions on workers, peasants and fishermen and so on. By promoting such a peace movement you create a more fertile ground for racialism and chauvinism in the context of Sri Lanka.
• Although, the religious leadership, the business community and the 'Peace Campaigners' publicly support the idea of 'a stable and national government', there is no chance under such a regime for the workers, fishermen and peasants. We have to expect a hard time now under a 'stable and national government'. The freedom of the poor will be curtailed to make Sri Lanka more an investor friendly country.
• The forces against globalization could not be effectively mobilized in the immediate fast because of the belief that it is their duty to protect the left and the close link some wanted to maintain between the reformist left and the ruling party that was in power.

The actions to be carried out during next few months are as follows.

• A position paper is to be finalized within a week.
• It is to be signed by those present at the meeting and others who would give their consent to be signatories.
• That to be published in the media.
• A series of meetings to be held during the next few months on the above two main points to raise public awareness: The futility of War and Need for Negotiations and the need to struggle against 'Global Capitalism'.
• Take up the concrete issue of water privatization in the near future.
• An alliance of organizations against war and globalisation is to be launched.

I hope MONLAR will gradually and step by step will revive its energies to realize the above stated objectives.

Sarath Iddamalgoda.

Sri Lanka

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