A new political alliance from ‘Aragalaya’ activists

A new political movement called the ‘Peoples Struggle Alliance’ has been launched in anticipation of the next election in Sri Lanka. They said that they formed this new political alliance ‘to introduce a new political system for the future of Sri Lanka’.

The political movement consists of an alliance of former student activists, social activists, journalists, and political parties.

Addressing the media, former convenor of the Inter-University Student’s Federation (IUSF) Wasantha Mudalige said the ‘Aragalaya’ peoples’ struggle was staged in the past calling for a system change.
“But the requested system change has not taken place as expected by the protesters, instead incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe has further pushed the existing system into a crisis,” said Wasantha Mudalige.

Wasantha Mudalige pointed out that under the current developments, stability has not been established in the nation and the people are facing severe difficulties in their day-to-day lives.

As such, Mudalige revealed that the new political movement has been launched with the intention of introducing a new political system for the future of Sri Lanka.

Swasthika Arulingam a member of the ‘Aragalaya’ and an Attorney-at-Law speaking at the first press briefing said that all the election parties and alliances that have come forward have promised the people of this country a change.

But, she said “then why is this new alliance needed? all of the election campaigns and propaganda, platforms that we have seen so far, we have seen many fundamental issues that impact this country missing in the conversations, and political programs that have been proposed. For instance, we have not seen parties questioning why our country is still stuck. Which has placed the entire burden of the crisis on the working people, the poor, and the marginalized in our country.” she said.

Also, she explained that the War is over but we have not seen a single party pushing for a solution to the national question which has played this country since independence.

“We have not seen a single conversation on what it means to have a re-distributary economy. A radical re-distribution of the wealth of this country and why for decades our country’s economy has revolved around a round concentration of the wealth in the hands of a few while the masses of this country had been deprived and disposed of the wealth. So this is the conversation we want to bring forward in our political program. We want to put forward a political program – we have put forward a political program, as to how our country can exit from the IMF program after 65 years. We have been under the IMF rules for 65 years, this is not the first time we have gone to the IMF”. Swasthika Arulingam stated.

“So we have put forward a program as how to come out from the clutches of the IMF and re-gain Economic sovereignty” Swasthika added.

Including attorney and HR Activist Swasthika Arulingam, former convenor of the Inter-University Student’s Federation (IUSF) Wasantha Mudalige and National organizer of ‘Youth for Change’ and ‘Aragalaya’ activist Lahiru Weerasekara, a key leader of the Frontline Socialist Party and lawyer Nuwan Bopage, Tharindu Uduwaragedara of the Young Journalists Association, Dr. Kalpa Rajapaksa a representative of University lecturers and the Frontline Socialist Party, and the New Democratic Marxist–Leninist Party are among the members of the new political movement attended the first media briefing of the PSA.

Other members of the Aragalaya say that this new political party born out of the struggle will also join the upcoming election battle.

END.