NPP News

Leader of the National People’s Power, Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Among the crowd present here are those who have voted for us before as well as many who have voted for other political parties. All of them are welcomed by the fraternity and appreciated for uniting to change this destructive political trajectory. The actions that have been taken for decades have done all the devastation to a country and its people. The economy is heading for a catastrophic end, with a huge shortage of goods, an extreme rise in prices, and more than 1,500 containers of essential goods are stacked up at the port. Doubts have been raised about the repayment of loan instalments. The lives of ordinary people are in a deep crisis. Can the traditional political trajectory that has existed so far solve these deep-seated crises? Experiences and our own lives have proved today that our country cannot move forward on the old, traditional political path.

This was not a natural disaster. These are the consequences of the wrong economic and political path which followed. If you fall into a hole, you have to take the same route to come out of it. If our country was plunged into this catastrophe with the wrong economic and political policy, the answer lies in establishing the right economic and political policy in the motherland. Many people who have a decent source of income and want to be respected for their profession leave the country. They leave the country not only in search of employment but also in terms of social security. But, no matter how much you struggle individually, you can’t get over this. It requires a collective effort. This platform of the National People’s Power is made up of people who make humanitarian sacrifices and sacrifices for such a collective effort. I declare, beyond this, you will build the National People’s Power into a people’s movement that can mobilize all the people of the country together.

Everyone is convinced that our country must be shifted from this destructive political trajectory. No matter how much you struggle individually, it doesn’t work. No matter how hard the quails caught in Vedda’s net struggled individually, it did not work. But in the end, it was explained that they must fight collectively by the quail who was the Bodhisattva. That is exactly what has happened to us today. We are ready to take over this country. Also, this country is ready to be built. We have an honest and sincere desire for that. No one on this platform or any of you who have participated here, have come on personal grounds. We all have a knot that binds us together. That is, we are ready to take over this country and build this country. This is not a country that should collapse.

The main factor that is wreaking havoc in this country is extremely corrupt politics. Rulers steal from antigen kits of people who are on the verge of death from the Covid pandemic. Rulers who are stealing from the Sri Lankans overseas and through the quarantine process, will not build the country. While the agriculture which cultivated Yala and Maha seasons for generations is waiting for the required inputs and rulers are exploiting Chinese fertilizers. Therefore firstly, this corrupt politics must be stopped. These corrupt projects weigh heavily on our country. Corruption is not just a bribe committed at the moment. The impact of corruption is enormous. The former Auditor General had once stated that the country’s debt was eleven trillion and its assets were only one trillion. This is why our country is stuck in a huge mountain of debt. The share of debt which was one billion rupees in 1955 has increased up to 16,300 billion rupees as of last 30th April. Can any ruler tell what was done with the loans taken? Therefore, first, an uncorrupt political system is needed to build this country. It can only be done by the most uncorrupted national people’s force in this country. Many people expect these corrupt people to be punished. It is also expected that the property earned from corruption should be taken back. Surely it can only be done under the rule of a National People’s Power. We will do it.

Secondly, a collective effort is needed to build this country. How many people went after individuals, in search of Diyasen princes? We always say that building a country is not a magical act of an individual. Foreign workers came to vote in hired planes with high hopes of building this country. Anton Chekhov once said, “Man can be made a better person by explaining his condition.” Man is not naturally a thief, a corrupt person or an oppressor. That man is naturally optimistic. Who dragged that man into this disaster? By creating a society that runs for itself individuality. Within that society, man is a deceiver and a corrupt man. If so, he can be saved only from collectivism. It can only be done by getting down from the political pedestal. Today politics has become an extremely privileged position. It has created a person who is not subjected to law. This extremely privileged politician must come down from the top platform above the law and has to become an activist who builds society by working side by side with the public as co-partners. The politician cannot ask citizens to be collective while standing on a pedestal. The country can be built by collectively deploying the tasks of me, as a politician, your tasks as a professional and as an entrepreneur as well as the tasks of farmer and the fisherman.

The pensions, official residences for ministers, taking care of former presidents and giving mansions to them should all be abolished. Abolish and turn politics into a collective exercise to build this country, shoulder to shoulder with the citizens. Only NPP can do it. The old traditional camp has proved that they cannot do anything. Incorrupt politics and the collective intervention of society are the two basic elements need to build the country. The economic program built on them should be implemented. We have a vision and a plan. But I am not saying it is perfect. With new ideas and suggestions, it should be completed. Especially the transformation we are making on the economical body should be done on three basic foundations. We must increase national production, acquire a fair share of goods and services in the world market, and get the involvement of the people in this economy and distribute the benefits equitably among them. Today a large portion of the people have been expelled from this economy. They have turned human lives into human dust. Even today thirty-eight per cent of the GDP comes from the Western province, five per cent and five-tenth per cent from the North Central province. This means people are not contributing to the economic expansion equally. Therefore, the people should be made active partners in the economy.

The share of the economy among ordinary people is distributed in an extremely unfair manner. The top ten per cent of the people enjoy thirty-eight per cent of the national wealth. The bottom ten per cent enjoy only one-tenth per cent of the national wealth. Is this fair? We get together and make a loaf of bread. Thirty-eight to four-tenths of it is enjoyed by ten people while ten get a little over one slice of bread. As the country achieves economic expansion, the benefits must be distributed fairly. Without a fair distribution of benefits, a society cannot be good. No country in the world can match the economic system of another country. Any country’s economic strategies are based on several main factors. Location is the main one among them. Our country is located in a very important place. Our country is located on four major naval routes of Europe, India, Australia and the Far East. Thirty-six thousand ships pass through these routes annually. 30% of the world trade is transported on these four routes. This position should be utilized when the country is developed. At the same time, it’s important to have an accurate assessment of our country’s natural resources. We do not have valuable treasures like gold, copper and gas. But we have an ocean resource which is eight times as much as the country like a treasure. Beautiful beach line, mineral resources, two monsoon rains, location close to the equator and fertile land are our valuable resources. Utilizing these resources is the core of our development plan.

Thirdly, our country’s human resource is the most important. Based on the world’s density of population, our country ranks in the twenty-fourth place. It is approximately, three hundred and forty per square kilometre. The development of this human resource is an important part of our economic strategy. For that, education, health and sports need to be used. Where are these three fields today? Thirty thousand first grade students drop out before writing the ordinary level. More than seventy per cent of the drug addicts have not been educated to the ordinary level. More than seventy per cent of the prisoners have not been educated to the ordinary level. There is a link between poverty and ignorance as well as a social crime. Therefore, the goal of our education is to produce a wise man. As a healthy person can be produced with health, a courageous man can be produced with sports. Sri Lankan citizens will be built to a wise, healthy and efficient Sri Lankan citizens. We aim to build the world’s most developed human resource from Sri Lanka. We have strong confidence that we can do it.

The world today is intertwined in many ways. Communication, transportation, world market, passenger transportation are all intertwined. If anyone is thinking of creating a displaced state in the world, they belong to the 1800s and beyond. Various economic fortresses are created in world politics, so conflicts and competition exist. Where is Sri Lanka located in it? As a result of decades of wrong foreign policies have been followed, it is in the cave of different countries. When Hambantota port is given to China, East port is requested by India. America is asking Kerawalapitiya powerhouse. Therefore, we need to implement a fresh, unbound, one-size-fits-all personality foreign policy that can come out of the cave with a very broad vision and program. Our inland irrigation industry and the tank system is built on a civilized evolution. Even today, twenty-two per cent of our labour force relies on agriculture. Twenty-five per cent of the export income is received from agriculture. Twenty-five per cent of the industries in our country is based on agriculture. Agriculture in our country is very important in terms of food security and improving the livelihoods of rural people. We need to move to a new economic program based on our country’s civilization, human resources, world politics and resources of our country.

In that regard, we have a vision and a plan. It is implemented by entrepreneurs. The government sets goals and the entrepreneur implements those targeted programs. What has happened today is that entrepreneurs do not venture into new fields. As long as an economic vision is not introduced by the government, entrepreneurs are going to meet Gnanakkala. We will guide farmers, labourers, entrepreneurs and public servants with a vision. In this way, within five to six years, our country can be transformed into a developed country. The citizens always had good hopes. At the polling booth, no voters cast their vote intending to destabilize the country, sell national resources and drag our country into such devastation. Every citizen cast a vote with good intentions. However, instead of the voter’s good dream, the elected ruler had the dream of the expectations of his own family. The ruler had an extreme greed life with selling national resources. We are building the aspirations of the people to move the country forward through an administration that builds the unity of all in this country. The Executive Committee of the NPP has an executive body representing all sectors. Let us go to the village and enter the politics of turning this country on a new path. Let us choose the path of the solution instead of the path of destruction that has been going on for seventy-three years. This is the path of solution. We invite everyone to join us on that path with courage.

Secretary of the National People’s Power, Specialist Dr Nihal Abeysinghe

We are expanding the National People’s Power to become a massive people’s force. We elected the National Executive Council. This is just the beginning. This National Council will next intervene to establish District Councils. We are forming divisional councils of the National People’s Power to cover all the Pradeshiya Sabhas and Urban Councils in this country. These councils shall be made pools of loyal, honest and good people. We have full confidence in the people of this country. These people are the main resource we have, to build this country. Utilizing this human resource is the challenge facing any political group gaining governmental power. We believe that building this country will not be so difficult.

In 2019 and 2020 the people voted, putting their faith in Gotabaya Rajapaksa. But in a very short time, this faith is seriously drying up. The past year and eight months have been marked by a series of serious economic, social and political problems for all in this country. During the election, we, as the National People’s Power, tried to explain to the people of this country that this is going after a mirage. That people’s hopes would soon be dashed. Therefore, the people were told to join us at that time. But many did not listen to that request at that time. There were different people there. There were a large number of educated people doing a job or a business, who sincerely hoped to build this country. Some quit their jobs and became involved in politics. Scholars joined Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s team with high hopes. Many believed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a newcomer to politics, would intervene to rebuild the country by ending the old practices of corruption.

But many who went after it are now lost. Therefore, we have to turn the National People’s Power into a national movement that fulfils their aspirations. We give them hope. We need to win them over and give them the responsibility to change this country and be partners. We must build an honest and loyal mass leadership and give them the opportunity to join in the great work of building this country. All honest and non-corrupt people who love the country are invited. I invite the people living in every corner of this country to join the National People’s Power. You have no other way but the National People’s Power. This is not something that can be done only by those of us who are currently united as the National People’s Power. This is your country too. This is the country of all of us. This country should be saved for the sake of the children of this country. This country must be built. You need to create a good environment for your children to live in. We have to make many sacrifices. We invite you to contribute as much as you can.

NPP Executive Committee Member Prof Liyanage Amarakeerthi

I hope to speak on the topic of human security. At a time when we fear for our lives, when explosive gas is coming into our homes, when the children in our homes are climbing trees, roofs and mountains to study, at a time when the price of nutritious food is too high to purchase, what is human safety? It is very important to think. We at the National People’s Power pay special attention to that particular topic. The rulers of our country often talk about security. However, we see from the sufferings of the people day by day, that they are merely talking about the security of the government. We need to protect the people. We have embarked on the journey of building a country with human security and protection. There are several types of security in modern society. One is national security. It is important to protect our country from the intervention of foreign imperialist forces. It’s not just about building an army. It’s something to be gained through the wisdom of international relations. It is important for the security of the state. It is important to protect the state structure in which we live. It must evolve and adapt to serve human safety.

But in spite of all this, if there is no human security, that country cannot be called a developed country. It is useless if the people in our country are not happy. Human life shines best when there is security. What we, as the National People’s Power, plan to do is to create a country with food and education security, and healthy. An emotionally and physically secure country. Such a country is said to be a country with human security. In such a country, people have deep human values. In such a country, people are bound by human emotions. In such a country, people live with human dignity towards each other. People in such a country think deep, engage in creative imagination, enjoy meaningful art, live a meaningful and leisurely life, strive constantly to coexist with the environment and animal life. In such a country not only men but also women are safe. In such a country not only mothers but also daughters are safe. In such a country the child is safe. Not only the ethnic majority but also the minority groups are safe. In such a country not only one culture but all cultures are safe. All cultures are engaged in a dialogue with each other. This is the situation in a country where human security really exists. We believe that in a country with human security, everyone should have a relatively equal economic strength. We cannot import such a country. But we know that our country can be transformed into such a country. It must be a transformation that must be done with collective enthusiasm. That is why you are all here. That is why we hope to reach out to the people from next month.

Alone, we cannot build a country with human security. The people of the country have to come out of the darkness of the evil of the degenerate political parties and breathe new life. We are building the National People’s Power as a place where there is a new breath. We will sit around the table of brotherhood as equals and talk while we eat. We are bound to each other by the warm hands of brotherhood above the abyss of ideological divisions. The time for that has come. Only by the brotherhood of its people can a country that has fallen ill recover. This is the time for it. There is hope in the words I speak. Hope means the emergence of resistance from within us against an unbearable reality. No one can stop the transformation of this country one day when that hope rises in us, not individually but collectively. That is why we are building the National People’s Power.

We are in an economic crisis. Not only that, we as a country are in a severe spiritual crisis. The tragic manifestation of this spiritual crisis is the selfish feeling that we can prosper and succeed as individuals. The National People’s Power is a force that appeals to the goodness of all those with such individualistic attitudes. We are building the National People’s Power to unveil the hiding places of good thoughts in the hearts of the people who seek the good of this country. There is a local dimension to justice, fairness, economics and democracy. We have to win it locally. Only then can we create a country with human security, education, health and comfort. But in the 21st century, we see human security in our country as something that can be achieved with the blessings and brotherhood of progressive people in other parts of the world. We are ready to maintain relations with the world on the basis of justice and fairness. We are ready to maintain relationships in a way that does not destroy our pride.

Corruption exists in every country. Also, there is a public outcry against corruption in every country. Such people who demand justice in their own countries are our companions. So we call the world to help us. Join us in this transformation. We need a political movement that can tell the world that the money they pay for our peppercorns is going to the poor shacks in our villages and the children in those homes are going to school. That is what we are building. We need a political movement that can tell the world that the money they pay for our tea is going to our villages and protecting children from disease. We are confident that the National People’s Power will become that movement. We have people who can make computer chips just as small as pepper, not just tea and peppercorns. We need a government that can tell the world to help us build a better life for those people. That is the kind of administration we are developing.

We know that the political conscience of the world’s most powerful nations does not melt so easily. Nevertheless, there are progressive citizens all over the world who value justice and fairness. The rule of this country must be in the hands of globally-minded people who want to see many people in the world get out of poverty. We don’t have deals. We do not have commissions. We need an administration that can make a sincere request to help us build this country. If our collective conscience is dead, we cannot tell that story in a way that warms the conscience of global progressives. We are not people whose conscience is dead. If dreams of a better country, a better world are dead, we too are not intellectually or emotionally alive. The National People’s Power has emerged to address the spirit of brotherhood of honesty and justice that is still in your heart. We in the National People’s Power gather here even in this time of pandemic and we listen to the voice of the new world. There are various political movements and rulers who continue to imprison us in our individual dreams and tell us to take care of our own affairs. We cannot let them destroy this country. Let us come together to make this dream come true just as we are together in this convention today.

NPP Executive Committee Member Chathuranga Abeysinghe

For the past three years, I have been looking for an answer to a question. That is the question my daughter will ask me in another 10 years. She will ask me, father, I am well educated, but I do not have a job and I do not feel safe. For a good life, I need to go to another country, should I go? Since there is no answer to that question, I decided to leave my professional responsibilities for a little while and actively involved in politics. We are in an open economy. If social justice needs to be established within this circumstance, it is necessary to create equal opportunities, equal opportunities in education, equal opportunities in the economy. Otherwise, justice cannot be achieved.

In Sri Lanka, 8.6 M people are engaged in various occupations. However, many people have not been able to convert a job to a profession. 62% of the Sri Lankan jobs are unorganized. That means there is no ETF, EPF and no rights to work. Many people have not been able to have a profession that would bring a family income. 70% of the Sri Lankan families are relatively in poverty. They are not as capable as we are. Professional dignity is lost. The professional dignity of the public servant is lost.

And we know you are stuck if you are a small or medium-sized businessman. There is no one to provide you with capital or technology. There is no one to support your foreign trade. We are a poor country. Not everyone in our country has capital. Due to the lack of capital, if you start a small business, you will not be able to compete with big businesses. To be competitive, need to be obtained the state contribution. You could be an incorporated company; you could be an import or export company; you could be a re-exporting company, a value-adding company, but you are unsuccessful today. As professionals and entrepreneurs, it is necessary to understand even if we try to achieve personal goals, we cannot achieve that goal individually.

When the whole country collapses, when its own people collapse, we collapse as well. Within this system, we have a situation where we cannot solve our personal goals. How do we proceed from here? We need to come to the forefront of economic theories. The production capability curve needs to be developed. We must develop human capital, technology and productivity of natural resources. We have not done it. A country needs products and services that have relative advantages over it. We have that advantage in the garment industry and technology industry. We also have a relative advantage in agricultural crops. However, we have not been able to take them to the international level and capture our portion of the world economy. Also, there is an advantage for our country due to the location, an advantage in fisheries resources, an advantage in mineral resources. Today we are selling that absolute advantage to foreigners. That’s what our rulers have done. Their goal is not to improve the lives of our or your children; they spend billions and share three to four times of that money among their friends. We must make a political choice from what we have chosen so far. First, we must consider the candidates’ goals, whether it is a common goal or a personal goal. We need to see what their use is; we must see their lifestyles. We need to see whether they have sympathy. Also, there must be a team. We have experienced the devastation when a single person is appointed for power. It must be a collective effort. Must line up for one vision.

Data science is my subject field. This subject has the highest demand in the world. Data science provides the management, the knowledge they need to make decisions, to solve problems by using data. We can use data to solve problems in a country. It can forecast. But our leaders do not want to use them. Even though the world has achieved maximum industrial revolution, Sri Lanka has not even gone to a second industrial revolution. Productivity has not gone up. We exchanged our universal voting power with the corrupted business elite. We need to regain that power. We definitely need a team for that solution. That is the team that we are creating. We propose our youth community to take the lead from where you are.

NPP Executive Committee Member Dr Harini Amarasuriya

Today, the National People’s Power has reached a crucial and important juncture in its journey that began in 2019. As a result of our work, which we have done in the face of Covid obstacles, we were able to introduce our leadership and the Executive Council. The dialogue between us has come here through the formulation of a policy-making program. There are many people here today who have questioned us and criticized us. I know many more are joining us online too.

The National People’s Power is an organization that moves forward in a non-stop process through dialogue. The main reason for building the National People’s Power today is to put our country and our lives in a better, more beautiful and convenient place. We believe that we should have a culturally advanced human society that cares for each other instead of oppressing one another and nurturing instead of destroying nature. We have a plan, commitment, political leadership and practice to build such a world. We also know that there are many individuals and organizations like that. We have built a platform to bring all of them together.

The main reason why our country is where it is today is the destruction of the bonds, cooperation and solidarity that should exist between us. It did not happen automatically. It was destroyed. It was taught that there is no society. Society was presented with a selfish and competitive individualist. We were convinced that the crises we faced were normal or natural. Because of this, we were told that these conditions could not be changed. Or, the problems we face are said to be personal weaknesses. Therefore, they forced us to resolve the issues individually and kept us away from politics. In the democratic process, we were made mere spectators. Instead of hope and sympathy, hatred and indifference were created.

In the end, the rulers and their allies became rich and we became poor in every way. This needs to be changed. Collectivity and commonality do not mean the dissolution of individual liberties and identities. We can create a society that values ​​individuality and preserves individual freedom. But today, there is no balance between society and the individual. Values ​​and practices are telling us today, that there are personal goals and individual journeys. It has destroyed our bonds, relationships and our families as well as the common good. Interrelationships that every human being seeks are hidden underneath by it. Dedication to the common good, the desire to serve has been destroyed. As competitiveness, it requires a balance between human qualities. Loss of that balance has led individuals to seek solutions to problems. But today we face common and structural problems. Our education, health, transportation all have structural common problems. Therefore, a structural transformation is needed to change these conditions. It can be translated collectively, not individually. We are now rejecting the myths, attitudes and unscientific ideas that have trapped us.

The whole world is looking for a new path. A new path is open. Covid taught us some lessons about the transition from the crisis. The world is now pushing for that transformation. This morning we heard the good news that the new world was being built before us. According to the results of Chile’s presidential election, the former student leader Gabriel Warid has won and was elected as the president. I think it’s a great signal to all those who value leftism, progressiveness, and democracy. The National People’s Power was built on the belief that we can transform this world. Come on! Let’s work; Let’s take over the work; Let’s be committed; Let us unite to create a new world, a world more beautiful than today; Let’s build it.

NPP Executive Committee Member Attorney-at-Law Lal Wijenayake

We are at a critical juncture where our country has collapsed economically, socially and culturally in every direction. Leaders who ruled the country for seventy-three years since independence have dragged this country into a lamentable situation where it is above only Afghanistan in this region. The politics that led the country to such a situation should be defeated. What we should defeat is not just individuals but of course their politics. The position that the country has downgraded in terms of the economy need not be specially mentioned here as it is quite obvious to all. Likewise, our society too is collapsed. We have failed to unite all racial groups in the country and thereby to build one Sri Lankan identity. The nature of the politicians elected is quite clear when we look at the Parliament.

The level the country has collapsed is evident from the expectations that almost all the youth of this generation have on leaving the country. They are on the lookout for all possible ways to achieve this hope of leaving the country. Young people have lost faith in the country. They do not believe that there’s any future in this land and this is what it makes so tragic. Thus, this scenario led the JVP and the rest of the leftist parties to unite first and then establish the National People’s Power (NPP). We are holding this conference today to introduce an alternative political process and also to introduce an alternative work plan and an alternative leader. Further, we also work towards introducing a Leadership Council that shall consist of seventy-five members. We will also work towards spreading the word about NPP throughout the country and creating a discussion with people. If there’s any need to make any changes to such policies, there is room for any such change as well. Our anticipation is to make arrangements to establish a government, which is necessary to rebuild the once collapsed and broken nation. We will conduct conventions at the district level and we will also work towards rebuilding the shattered nation by striving hard to fulfil the expectations of the people. Therefore, we invite you all to unite and join hands with us for realizing the said purpose. National People’s Power is not restricted to several parties or groups. This will be established as a common platform for those who unite to rebuild the shattered motherland, by way of an alternative political programme. We, therefore, urge all people to unite and join us in this journey towards change.