The National People’s Power is the only political party in Sri Lanka that can ensure the safety and security of all citizens as it is the only one that does not tolerate extremism in any form, leader of the party and presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently told a rally.
Speaking in Batticaloa, he said that Sri Lankans must reject politicians who exploit racism for political gain and sow divisions among communities.
“The vast majority of Muslims, Sinhalese, and Tamils, in the country, are not racist. It is the politicians, supported by a very small minority, who incite incidents leading to outbreaks of racism and disunity. Once we defeat these politicians and their henchmen, most of these problems will be resolved,” he had said.
Dissanayake often criticizes politicians in Sri Lanka by stating that for the last 76 years, they’ve used differences in ethnicities, religions, and ideals to sow discord. “They have masked their incompetence by fuelling racism. These politicians pretend to belong to different camps. One group stirs up racism among the Sinhalese, another among the Muslims, and yet another among the Tamils. This has been the nature of our politics.” he said.
Dissanayake ostensibly left out the Anti-Tamil pogrom that saw the daylight massacre of over 3000 Tamils. Despite his claims, throughout the armed conflict, the JVP would weaponize the pretense of Marxism to justify their hardline opposition to Tamil demands.
In the 2004 parliamentary elections, the JVP became a coalition partner of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and stood opposed to continued peace negotiations with the LTTE; they further rejected the possibility of joint post-tsunami aid distribution, and in 2005 endorsed Mahinda Rajapaksa on a platform specifically opposed to the peace process. In early 2006 the JVP openly promoted a military solution that would culminate in the Mullivaikkal genocide.
