We are forwarding herewith an article by one of our members. This is a Sinhala translation of an article by one of our members.
As we have pointed our earlier, the present socio-political condition is a result of rapid globalization and the increasing influence of capitalism. This condition is causing a new trend in politics. We have argued, time and again, that many political groups today are only a reaction to this situation, and not really attempts to counter this the existing social order. Following the theorizations of Yannis Stavrakakis, we argue that a demand for a return to a totalitarianist system, which is a demand for a guaranteeing Other, is the logical outcome of the chaos caused by capitalist social relations. This article discusses how the new demand for a ‘father’ and the establishment of order’ – probably the most powerful and popular political slogan in Sri Lanka today- is in fact a continuing demand for a totalitarian system.
We have taken the writings of the X Group as our point of departure, because they are the man proponents of this political slogan. However, we wish to emphasize, that the X Group is only the symptom of the real problem and they are not really the problem itself. The question that anybody would with to ask today is ‘where will our country end up?’ We don not even pretend to answer this question. But we feel that recent studies in psychoanalysis point the way towards totalitarianism, and we can already see its emergence in small groups that are organized around a central primordial figure.
We feel that this is an important contribution to the study of politics in Sri Lanka, and at the same time a study that has very practical implications. The way it points is a serious warning and if unheeded, this tendency can have dire consequences. Realizing the gravity of this situation, we have tried to theorize this problem and look at a very practical example that is available to everybody in writing. We have pointed out many times that our society is in search for a ‘master’. However, it is difficult to show this at a practical level, unless it is available in writing (we wish to remain clear of personal clashes because we are not interested in the individuals’ shortcomings) and the writings of the X group provide a very good example.
We sincerely hope you will publish this article in your newspaper, opening the possibility of a public discussion on this issue.
Friday Forum which describes itself as a “gathering of public spirited persons who are dedicated to promoting peace and development in Sri Lanka within a framework of democracy, social justice and pluralism” has aligned with an NGO named Rights Now, Collective for Democracy which acts as a front for a political group known as the Sri Lanka Vanguard Party (Sri Lanka Peratugami Pakshaya) which follows a fascist and anti-feminist agenda.
This new alliance has come to light with Samabima, the Sinhala monthly magazine published by the Rights Now, Collective for Democracy in its Febraury 2014 issue carrying a special four page supplement under the title Friday Forum in which it carries in full a recent statement by the Friday Forum. The supplement is presented as an official publication of the Friday Forum with its contact details and the list of names of Firday Forum’s currently active members given as follows: Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala, Professor Savitri Goonesekere, Dr. G. Uswatte Aratchi, Professor. Camena Gunaratne , Ms. Suriya Wickremasinghe, Rt. Reverend Duleep de Chickera, Professor Arjuna Aluwihare, Mr. Ahilan Kadirgamar, Mr. J.C. Weliamuna, Dr. A. C. Visvalingam, Ms. Anne Abayasekara Mr. Tissa Jayatilaka, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Rev. Dr. Jayasiri Peiris, Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, , Dr. U. Pethiyagoda Prof. Gananath Obeysekera Mr. Danesh Casie Chetty, Professor. Ranjini Obeyesekere, Dr. Deepika Udagama, Ms. Sithie Tiruchelvam, Ms, Damaris Wickramasekera, Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran, Faiz Ur-Chandran, Ms. Manouri Muttetuwegama, Ms. Shanthi Dias, Javed Usuf and Mr. Chandra Jayaratne.
Sri Lanka Vanguard Party, formerly named X Group is well known for its vituperative attacks against members of civil society with the detrimental effect of silencing independent minds among the youth. It has also taken an anti-feminist stand in persistently and viciously attacking in a sexist manner female members of civil society whom they consider their political enemies. For example, the Sri Lanka Vanguard Party, on their web pages has been hounding for a long time a senior female academic mounting a massive and continuing sexist attack against her dragging her personal life into public discussion because she has been critical of authoritarian politics of Sri Lanka Vanguard Party/ X Group.
Leader of the Rights Now who appear in public as a civil rights activist has been a long standing leading member of the Sri Lanka Vanguard Party/ X Group and the Rights Now, Collective for Democracy which is known to be funded by the European Union among other international donors is seen to channeling the NGO funds to Sri Lanka Vanguard Party. The leader of the Sri Lanka Vanguard Party and a team of party cadres lead the training of young interns recruited to Rights Now via its internship programme mainly offered to young school leavers and undergraduates which functions as a front for recruiting cadres to the Sri Lanka Vanguard Party. Sama Bima the monthly Sinhala publication of Rights Now which also publishes weekly in a full page advertisement in the Ravaya Sinhala newspaper is the Sinhala publicity arm of the Rights Now, Collective for Democracy. It is by making Samabima their official publicity provider in Sinahala that the Friday forum has aligned with the Rights Now, Collective for Democracy.
Are the members of the Friday Forum aware of the far reaching implications of Friday Forum linking up with the NGO, Rights Now, Collective for Democracy? Are Friday Forum funds channeled to Rights Now, Collective for Democracy? Members of the public who have come to appreciate the work of Friday Forum would like to know the response of the Friday Forum to these questions.
Politically motivated cyber-bullying on the part of so-called leftist groups
Prabha Manuratne
I see this latest attack by Sumith Chaaminda and his group on you as yet another display of their myopic politics. As someone who has been a repeated target of politically motivated cyber-bullying for many years now, I fully sympathize with the unenviable position you have been pushed into. Such politically inflected bullying does not demand that a truth be revealed but that we prove a lie to be a lie. Bullying and hate speech are characteristic arsenal of those who wish to silence others on cyber platforms. They were part of the strategy of the former X group. It was a strategy that we eschewed after the break-up of the group, and it is sad that former X-group members Sumith Chaaminda and Vidarshana Kannangara have chosen to continue such attacks. In my opinion, cyber-bullying has had a deleterious effect on the entire youth oriented political scene in Sri Lanka..
Deepthi Kumara Gunaratna is the leader of the Sri Lanka Vanguard Party. His lawyer Thushara N Daskon has issued the following threat to the opponents of their party on the Facebook: “ When one gets to listen to Sumith Chaminda’s confession in the form of an hour and forty minutes lecture the democracy of these gentlemen will be revealed to everyone. In December everyone will be able to hear these in Sumith’s voice.” In this statement the term “these gentlemen” refers to those 140 odd members of the former X Group who broke away from the political group on the day of the Tsunami. Since then Deepthi has been out to destroy these opponents. It is not clear why Sumith Chaminda is making a recorded confession and to whom under what conditions,: nor who will be the publisher of this voice recording.
Sumith Chaminda having broken away from the X Group set up his own political group known as the Praxis Group and a web site called Disneylanka. He is said to be the theoretical advisor to the Frontline Socialist Party
එක්ස් ෆයිල්ස් 