CMU Statement on Current Status up to 10th May 2022

May 16, 2022 Dharmasiri Lankapeli

10.5.2022

The current Social, economic and political situation needs no further introduction due largely to technology that has now enabled instant dissemination of information in a variety of formats including live footage of the coverage is now available on social media.

As an organisation of working people, we, wish to emphasize that, we categorically reject the use of violence and therefore cannot condone the use of violence in any of its manifestations including the infliction of bodily harm resulting on occasion in the loss of life, damage to property or damage to the economy and therefore urge all parties concerned to exercise restraint in their respective affairs to avoid destructive acts at any cost.

Gotagogama alias Galle face episode

For more than a month, the agitation and protests at the Galle face in and around the “agitation center”, (agitation center introduced by Gotabaya Rajapaksha himself) continued peacefully and morally with great educative emphasis on issues affecting the people of the country, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation. The youth at Galle face (Gotagogama) provided the opportunity of a platform for various communities and groups such as students, Teachers, University teachers, Academia, Lawyers, Intellectuals, Government and Private sector Trade Unions, Civil Society Organizations, Artists, Farmers, Fishermen and organizations of women as well as the non-aligned public to join their struggle for a better Sri Lanka. While many public discussions on political corruption and particularly corrupt acts of politicians and their disconnectedness from the masses who are their electorate became part of the dialogue.

The struggle retained its main theme the need to “change the system”. At times it became a reading ground, while at other times it became a teaching ground. Its (Gotagama’s) presence had by now become the clarion, the call of which ‘ Go home Gota’ became the one binding call to action and objective for protests around the country. #gohomegota resonated well with the people who have been kept busy by yesterday for want of essentials. The ‘#gotagogama’ by yesterday had become iconic for many reasons. It is therefore in this peaceful backdrop that a most brutal and violent attack by a bunch of hooligans was unleashed on ‘gotagogama’ at the Galle face on the 9^th of May.

We note the violent intervention of all those present on May 9^th at the Prime Ministers’ house at Temple Trees, started attacking the “Mianagogama” and thereafter attacked those present at Galle Face including the elderly who were bi standers, women, and students as an unforgivable crime and a black mark in the history of this country. The CMU’s leadership and its membership stand by those peaceful supporters at Gotagogama and also those who protested opposite the official residence of the Prime Minister – Templetrees, upon whom violence was unleashed first.

Youth who were peacefully protesting against the degenerating political machinery in this country where wholesale and blatant corruption by politicians and their kith and kin has now become an integral part of domestic life. Those youngsters protesting were mercilessly beaten with iron rods and clubs and their tents and canopies were set on fire incidentally also opposite the Kollpetty Police station bordering the Templetrees while a police force of strength stood by inactive and disengaged only to become witnesses to this brutal act. We strongly condemn the incident which took place subsequent to and as a result of the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksha himself on the 9^thof May at his official residence- Templetrees.

We note that the hooligans who poured out of the Temple Trees premises and literally onto the protest area on the opposite side of the Galle road opposite the Temple trees had in their possession iron rods and poles, which clearly demonstrated the highest political patronage they had received for this act of crude violence. There was no attempt by police who stood inactive watching the scenario.

As video footage viral on social media revealed the Prime Minister’s May 9^th meeting at his official residence, Temple Trees was preceded by addresses to the group by several purported leaders including politicians who instigated the group into a violent frenzy. The video footage also broadcast on Television, shows members of this crowd going berserk with rallying calls of destruction on those opposed to them. Those who came out of the meeting having carried out the carnage opposite the Temple trees proceeded unabated directly to the Galle face making a beeline towards the students and youth who were peacefully protesting on the roadside for the past two weeks. This group who came from the Prime Minister’s residence assaulted the youth with iron rods and clubs, tearing down tents and canopies and setting fire to them. We strongly condemn this incident as a despicable and brutal act of violence.

We also condemn the complacency by the police who stood by watching the carnage unleashed upon the peaceful protestors only kicking into action with tear gas after the protestors’ area had been partly destroyed and the protestors attacked ruthlessly. We note with deep regret and disappointment the police inaction we witnessed yesterday against the violent intruders who have come straight out of the Temple Trees premises and assaulted the youth in front of the Kollpetty Police station! There is substantial video footage to prove police complacency. In this instance, we contend that complacency on the part of the police can only be surmised as an act of compliance and therefore an act in concert with the perpetrators. We, therefore, demand accountability not just from the Department of Police but from each and individual policeman present on-site, the day before yesterday (9^th May).

Information reveals that so far ten people have been hospitalized in the mayhem. The intruders who came from the Prime Minister’s residence were extremely vocal and hurled vocal insults and used extremely vulgar and obscene language abusing young women who were in the tent opposite the Kollpetty police station thereafter proceeding to assault them mercilessly. In addition, doctors and nurses who were stationed in the ambulances were also attacked, damaging public health service equipment. We note that all politicians, including the Prime Minister, who addressed the May 9th meeting at the Temple Trees, provoked the participants, and incited the participants to violence against peace and democracy. These provocative statements made by the politicians at Temple trees were also seen on television with national coverage. We urge the Attorney General to take legal action against those responsible for causing public unrest and mayhem.

There appears to be little doubt that the attack was deliberate and planned. We demand that the Minister of Public Security and the Secretary clarify matters accordingly. ( In other countries, those in office may have had to instantaneously resign in shame and for want of independence in the affairs pertaining to an inquiry into such incident.)

Tear Gas Culture

It has now become customary for the police to use tear gas, water cannons and barricades to stop protests of all sorts mainly those by students. On every occasion the students took to the streets to draw the attention of the authorities to their problems on subjects such as free education, General issues of public interest such as Kotelawala Military Academy, or foreign agreements harmful to the nation as a whole, the police used tear gas, water cannons, and on occasion, we have all witnessed how the police charge upon them with batons. The Police make no distinction between man, woman, child, or the elderly as we saw a few days back near parliament where video footage clearly showed the use of tear gas amongst children, women, families, and other ordinary citizens who had no connection to the protests.

We, therefore, raise the question as to on whose instructions the police remained silent bystanders watching the terror unleashed on the peaceful protestors, as the group coming out of temple trees visibly carried iron rods and poles which could not have been mistaken for toothpicks and therefore could have only been used for disruptive and destructive purposes as the group announced quite vocally and abusively in the loudest possible form their intentions. Who in the line of command, the Minister in charge of Public Security? the Inspector General of Police? the DIG in charge of the area? is responsible for this shameless dereliction of duty. We consider the dereliction of duty by all police personnel on duty on location as well as the high-ranking officers who commanded them, to have been willful participants of this violent act and therefore demand that a formal and independent inquiry at the highest level of the Judiciary be initiated into the incident to avoid future repetitions. Under the circumstances, we urge the Attorney General to act firmly and immediately and look into this attack because it is the belief of the CMU that unraveling the events of the 9^th will reveal clearly the true patriots of this country and help the country determine traitor from true patriot.

We also take this opportunity to salute and thank the few police officers who did in fact make an attempt to fairly disburse their duties on location.

It should be noted that in the recent past, the President, the Prime Minister, and most of the Cabinet Ministers such as the Minister of Public Security, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Agriculture, and many others issued statements insulting and provocating the intelligence of the people, thinking themselves as “superpowers”. We note with regret and disappointment the arrogance and power of the President who demonstrated both ignorance and a lack of respect for his subordinates by stating that * his word * be treated as (to put it verbatim) an official circular.

The President’s inconsistent policies, arrogance, disconnectedness from the realities on the ground, ignorance, and disregard for technical expertise across many important fields including those of agriculture, finance, and medicine as we have witnessed in the past and the total disregard for the needs of the people has intensified public anger and outrage. Furthermore, the shameless enjoyment of facilities not available to the ordinary citizen without apology has heightened the anti-political sentiment of the average non-aligned citizen who months ago began across the country to stand silently in vigil in protest of the shameless behavior of our politicians – who include those in government as well as those in the opposition.

While the public outcry began with the forced overnight shift to organic agriculture where the public was not provided the usual fertilizer, this single act along with corrupt practices has now caused a chain reaction that the public encounters as a lack of food supplies, lack of medicines lack of cooking gas, lack of fuel including diesel and petrol and kerosene, the rising cost of living and exchange rate, rapid depreciation of the rupee most of which can only be interpreted as hyperinflation.

We the CMU, from the inception of the Executive Precedency, denounced it as a concept not conducive to our country. We protested within our means at every Presidential Election.

Now, the “Gotagogama” demand that the President should go, connotes the following as well,

The change in the System and the Abolishing of the Executive Presidency and a system that gives more power to people than to individuals.
Provide proper facilities to farmers and restrict import of anything that we can produce
Stop begging from other countries and make our future generations indebted to those countries.
Facilities to the Ministers such as luxury Vehicles and extra perks should be limited.
Taking action to recover monies illegally earned by the Politicians and public officers ( an audit to be carried on assets of all Politicians and Public officers)
A proper wage system to commensurate with the Cost of living.
A Committee from the public to be appointed to determine the prices of Essential food and other commodities and a system to assist low-income wage earners.
All agreements reached with other countries and state properties given to foreign agents to be revisited and recovered them.
To establish law and order-independent from political interference.
To recover money illegally earned by the politicians and government officials
To establish a public commission to inquire into the disappearances and undue delay in redressing those kept behind bars on alleged frivolous charges.

CMU Particularly condemns the removal of price controls on specific essentials. Sri Lanka is a ‘Democratic Socialist Republic’ and the price controls played a constitutional role in the socialist ideals of this country. The price controls though limited may have been able to provide a dignified existence to the low-income working people of this country. Meanwhile, the wage earners have no means of the meeting ends as no decent wage increases are made to commensurate with the ever-increasing prices. Therefore, the CMU condemns in no uncertain mode the removal of price controls on essentials and insists on an inquiry at the highest levels on the violation of the constitutional rights of the people of this country in general and particularly the working people in these hyperinflationary time frame and request the attention of the Attorney general and the law enforcing institutions towards this end.

Meanwhile, the President declared a state of emergency under the guise of “Public Security.” We know it was in fact, with the aim of suppressing mass protests that he did so, instead of providing solutions to problems they confront in daily life with failures of his government.

Things being as such in the situation, which has taken a heavy toll on the lives of ordinary people, has led to unprecedented public protests which undoubtedly will turn to public unrest as a dearth of essentials will continue to increase. It should be noted that the Ms. Sirimavo Bandaranaike-led coalition government came a long way at least in terms of providing the basic necessities of life at rational prices and on rations. It should be noted, however, that gas, electricity, or fuel issues were not acute issues at that time.

The incumbent President and his Ministers, random acts of arrogance have led this country to the brinks of anarchy. As our foreign reserves have depleted, the acquisition of fuel and other essentials will become more and more difficult. As we compose this statement, We are surprised that the President has nominated a Prime Minister who has failed 5 times and has not been elected to the Parliament by the people, which reminds us of a Sinhala proverb “changing the pillow for the headache”!

We appeal to the Chief Justice and the Attorney General to draw their attention to the carnage of the 9^th of May 2022, while also taking the utmost measures necessary to bring life back into our country and its people in order that we may preserve our peoples’ way of life.

Yours truly,

The Ceylon Mercantile Industrial and General Workers Union (CMU)

Sylvester Jayakody