Not even twenty percent support for federalism - JVP

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 April 2005, 12:51 GMT]
"A federal system as a political solution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict would not even get twenty percent support from the people at a referendum", said Mr. Somawansa Amarasingha, leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), President Chandrika Kumaratunga's main Marxist coalition partner, addressing a meeting Tuesday in Anuradhapura to commemorate the thousands of party activists who were killed in April 1971 when Colombo brutally crushed an armed uprising by the JVP to establish communist rule in the island. Mr. Amarasingha was one of the young JVP leaders who led the 71’ insurrection.

Mr. Amarasingha lighting lamp at the meeting

The JVP leader was reacting to President Kumaratunga’s statement that eighty percent of the people in Sri Lanka support a federal system solution to the island’s ethnic conflict.

Mr. Amarasingha addressed a packed audience of party activists and supporters in the Salgado Hall in Anuradhapura.

“This country does not need a federal system, solution for the national question could be found by treating all nationalities equally in a unitary Sri Lanka”, said the JVP leader adding that if a referendum were to be held for a federal system his party would educate the people and urge them to oppose it, according to reports in pro-JVP media Wednesday.

Mr. Amarasinghe said the JVP will oppose privatization in what ever form that it is introduced. He said the UNP gets a ‘sadistic pleasure’ in longing for the collapse of the United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

The JVP’s struggle against privatization will only strengthen the Alliance Government and will never break it, said Mr. Amarasingha.