A leftist common candidate from the Left Front
Left front, a coalition of leftist parties announced yesterday (27) that a leftist candidate will be contesting the Presidential election on January 8th.
Following are the views expressed at the press conference by representative of the parties and the leftist candidate, Comrade Duminda Nagamuwa. 
Pubudu Jayagoda, Forntline Socialist Party
Leftist parties have decided to put a leftist alternative on the table this time for the Presidential election as a result of the dialogue between the leftist parties. Accordingly, this press conference will be joint by the Frontline Socialist Party, Nawa Samasamaja Party and Sri Lanka Socialist Party and several other parties and organizations will be joining the front in the coming days. President Mahinda Rajapakse has is running for the upcoming Presidential election as the candidate of the UPFA and Maithreepala Sirisena is contesting the election as the Common Candidate. In the beginning the debate was on pinciples, as a debate on the executive presidency and we joined that conversation. Then the discussion shifted to candidates. Can Mahinda contest a third time? Will Ranil of Karu be the Common Candidate? Is Comrade Kumar Gunarathnam the Leftist Common Candidate? These were the questions raised. Now the government is singing an anti-imperialist tune. However it was for the same imperialism that thousands of urban proletariat were thrown out of the city. An agreement was signed between the government and USA in 2006 to allow the use of ports in the country and while acting on the imperialist agenda an anti-imperialist outlook is feigned. The opposition is talking about democracy and good governance. Who is saying talking about them? Those who killed thousands of youth during the 80’s. Chandrika Bandaranaike who violated the written promise to abolish Executive Presidency in 1994 is not talking about good governance. Those infamous for corruption are taking anti-corruption stances. Imperialists have taken an anti-imperialist rhetoric, Anti-Democratic have taken an democratic rhetoric and the corrupted are talking about good governance. Maithreepala Sirisena is not crying on behalf of the workers suffering in the Middle East, Chandrika is not crying for the massacred oppressed of the North. People’s problems will remain the same regardless of who wins. The real alternative is the leftist alternative. Left front is not just an front of leftists, it’s the front of the progressive, democratic, workers, farmers, youth, women and the oppressed people. It is on that idea that Comrade Duminda Nagamuwa will be contesting the Presidential election as the candidate of the left.
Leenus Jayathilake, Nawa Sama Samaja Party
This attempt by leftist parties is to protect the grounds of the oppressed in the bourgeoisie society. It is the responsibility of the left to defeat the authoritarian power that has taken executive powers to its hands. That is the main slogan on our election state. Throwing out the Mahinda Rajapakse regime. However, it cannot be achieved without the proletariat taking to the streets. Defeating this government, giving the power to the proletariat and uniting the country are essential and anyone else cannot do these. Not Rajapakse, Wickremasinghes or Maithreepala Sirisena.
We must go beyond fishing MPs from the government. Taking control of the Parliament is not the solution. This can only with the proletariat taking to the streets. We must shoulder the giant responsibility of giving leadership to that task. When a national government is elected we must create a position for the oppressed to struggle against it. We must educate them that the capitalist system that only aims profit is the culprit behind the harassments they face. The capitalist system that is robbing from the oppressed with a deepened exploitation of labour, robbing the farmers’ water and seeds must be overthrown. Not on the levels of the constitution, not with changes done in the superstructure. This can only be changes through strengthening factories and farms.
Senadheera Gunathilake, Frontline Socialist Party
Two candidates from the same camp have come in front of the people and ask them to come to one. What did Rajapakse’s rule bring? Nepotism, corruption, religious extremism, racism, militarization. The protest of the people who were subject to those is being transferred to a different camp made by the same people. There is one certain point that people talking about democracy avoid, neoliberalism. We have been ordered become its subjects, everything is turned into commodities. Education, health, animals, forests and even human tragedies. We need a way to free ourselves from this. Maithreepala and Wickremasinghe cannot give that. There needs to be system in which people struggle for their freedom. We propose to the people to build a movement for participatory democracy. It is after about 25 years that a dialogue on an alternative left has started.
Mahinda Dewage, Sri Lanka Socialist Party
18th Amendment buried human rights, democracy and independence of the judiciary eve if they suffered from the limitations of bourgeoisie democracy. Mahinda Rajapakse is contesting the election for the third time with the judiciary in his pocket. Dictators like Mahinda must know that people’s uprising have overthrown many of his kind. In Middle East dictators who had been in power for twenty thirty years were overthrown by people’s uprisings. It is as if the election is being held in his backyard. When the workers’ were shot, when the 18th Amendment was passed, when people of Rathupaswala were shot where was this alternative bourgeoisie? When hospital workers demanded their rights, it was the health ministry headed by Maithreepala Sirisena that unleashed repression on them. All of them have blood o their hands. They do not have the right to talk about people’s rights. After devouring the country for 18 years, they wish to devour it more. Criminals who murdered tens of thousands of youth in the North and South are contesting elections. More than 4000 cut outs of the President are put up in suburban areas. One costs about Rs.50000. Is this Mahinda’s inheritance money? No, this is people’s money, our money. There are no answers within capitalism for this deep crisis. We put a socialist alternative, a transitional solution on the table. We will work to rebuild the faith in socialism. Duminda Nagamuwa, the comrade of our class will run for the election.
Duminda Nagamuwa, Left front Candidate
Thye have divided themselves into two camps and asking us to come to one. The same card pack is shuffled and put in front of the people to choose one claiming it to be different. The bourgeoisie camp has not only failed to give a programme, the faces are also the same. Freedom is a noble word, do not violate it. Maithree and Chandrika are they talking about the working class’s freedom? This attempt is to use the pain and distress of everyone to cure their own pain. Workers, students, journalists and the oppressed of North would not get any freedom. Those who went housebreaking together have come in front of us now because they cannot divide the loot between themselves. We present a long term solution. We have given out solutions in relation to the economy, state and national problem. Everybody says the system must be changed, but the system cannot be changed without abolishing disparity. We do not stop at saying that. We will fight for everyday problems as well. In the case of democracy, the attempt is to build democracy on a balance between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. We like to ask if they are ready to let people assume power? Are they ready to amend the constitution in accordance with people’s propsals? Are they ready to create a dialogue among the public on the new constitution and would be new constitution be ready to face a referendum? The national problem will only find a solution in a people’s government, however until then we will fight for the problems faced by the Tamil and Muslim people.
