Priority requirements for winning elections and solving national problems

An open letter to National People’s Power

The National People’s Power (NPP) is emerging as the main movement aligned with the people’s aspirations that manifested through the Peoples’ Struggle of 2022. This situation is commensurate with the state of affairs at the first national election of (then) Ceylon, in 1947, where we missed a golden opportunity.

Therefore, in order to win the upcoming elections, and thereon to find solutions to national problems including the ethnic issue that continues to cause sharp disagreement in the society, we earnestly request that you pay focused attention to the following priorities.

Uniting the people by uniting all leftist and progressive forces against racism, authoritarianism and neoliberalism (the common enemy).

Proposing a solution acceptable to all ethnic groups to solve the ethnic problem.

It is our observation that even though the aspirations of the people against racism, authoritarianism and neoliberalism have been expressed through the 2022 struggle, the NPP has still failed to represent those aspirations as a whole.

The main reason for that is the tendency of the leftist and progressive political forces in our country to not give priority for uniting all the likeminded forces to build a unity of the people against the common enemy; from the beginning until today.

At the first national elections of 1947, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party(LSSP) was the main stream that represented the aspirations of the people against neo-colonialism (the common enemy). The LSSP therefore had a special responsibility to prioritize the unification of all leftist and progressive forces against neo-colonialism. Had that been done, serious mistakes such as the nomination of Wilmot Perera from the LSSP to the Matugama Constituency, which led to the defeat of C. W. W. Kannangara, would not have happened. Afterall, the leftist and progressive forces had the potential to win the election of 1947.

If that had happened then, the common enemy would not have had the opportunity to deprive the hill country Tamil (Malaiyaha Tamil) people of their citizenship and political rights, thereby weakening the left and progressive forces. Likewise, the common enemy would not have got a chance to appoint E.A Nugawela, who has been working against free education from the beginning, as the Minister of Education and that resulted in distorting the free education policy before it had a chance of full implementation.

Therefore, the NPP has been given a special responsibility to ensure that the wrong committed by the LSSP in 1947, is not repeated by the NPP in 2024. Accordingly, we suggest that the NPP should give first priority to uniting all the forces against racism, authoritarianism and neoliberalism (the common enemy), i.e. all the left-wing and progressive forces.

In accordance with this strategic vision, we suggest that the second priority of the NPP should be to present a solution proposal that is acceptable to all ethnic groups in order to solve the ethnic problem. For that, on the one hand, a solution proposal should be presented that does not give any space to the common enemy to stir up racism as usual. On the other hand, it has to be a practical solution that can gain the confidence of the majority of the people of the North.

Such divisive and complex issues cannot be addressed using traditional methods. Instead, it is possible to use the latest democratic practice, the deliberative democratic method. According to this system, political decisions for burning issues are first made by a People’s Assembly that is chosen by lottery to represent the composition of the citizen society, just as a jury is chosen. Then those decisions are approved using referendums or through public representatives.

The composition of the People’s Assembly selected by the lottery system can be determined efficiently by computing using algorithms to represent the composition of the citizen society in the right way. Thereafter, the public assembly should be provided with necessary facilities and convened at a suitable place. All important information related to the problem should be given. The People’s Assembly maybe divided in to smaller groups so that the space is created where deeper dialogue and deliberation can take place. Smaller groups maybe determined through a vote. Facilitators should support this process of deliberate discussion. The People’s Assembly should be provided opportunities to discuss with the necessary subject experts to get knowledge and information that can help make informed decisions. This deliberation should be broadcasted live online and necessary arrangements should be made to bring the public responses regarding the proposed matter to the attention of the public assembly. In the end, the People’s Assembly will arrive at decisions/political solutions by either consensus or when consensus is not possible, through a vote. Care should be taken that no influence is exerted on the People’s Assembly by the organizers or facilitators or subject experts in this entire process.

Trials conducted in various countries have confirmed that a People’s Assembly selected by lottery according to this method can make optimal political decisions through deliberation, and that those decisions become the will of the majority priority of the people. The uniqueness of this approach is the possibility of making optimal political decisions by the majority of all parties concerned based on political equality and particularly for citizens of societies that are sharply divided by race or religion. This modern knowledge has been presented in detail by Wijayananda Jayaweera’s book Sanvicharaniya Samajayak.

Therefore, we suggest that the capability and determination of the NPP should be announced without delay to provide an optimal solution to the ethnic problem, which is acceptable not only to the majority in the north but also to the majority in the east, the mountains and the south, using the deliberative democratic system.

We respectfully inform you that we are committed to stand to achieve these priorities and happy to further discuss the proposals mentioned above here if necessary.

01 Prof. Jayadewa Uyangoda

02 Prof Sarath Abayakoon

03 Dr.Ramesh Ramasamy

04 Dr.Selvy Thiruchandran

05 Dr. Herath M.Ariyarathne

06 Dharmasiri Bandaranayka

07 Dr.Saiful Islam

08 Dileepa Manawadu

09 E.M.Bandara Menike

10 P.Muththulingam m

11 Suresh Jeewarathnam

12 Eng.Gufran Ismail

13 Selvarasa Thileepan

14 Dr.M.Siddik Sadik

15 Jayathilake Bandara

16 Kaudulle Jayathissa

17 S.Sivagurunathan

18 T.Mathusoothanan

19 Hashim Salih

20 Nawaratne Banda

21 T.M.Premawardana