Revolution

Revolution, it may not be, but for the most ardent socialists, the struggle against capitalism and the beckoning of revolution is a lifelong pursuit. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the supposed triumph of liberalism, most unabashedly proclaimed by Fukuyama’s End of History thesis, the emergence of strong leftist governments in Latin America and elsewhere has imbued a spirit of optimism among its proponents.

Yesterday, I attended a commemoration event dedicated to Wesley Muttiah, one of the most indefatigable proponents of the socialist movement in Sri Lanka, who passed away in August this year. Organized by the Social Scientists Association, and held at the venerable old NM Perera Centre, it was a rare occasion to see the stalwarts of the Old Left on the same stage. As a student of Sri Lankan politics and history, the rise and fall of the Old Left, led by the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) has always been a source of interest, and a bit of depression. Ideologically, I’ve never been particularly place-able. I’m not a rapacious neo-liberal nor am I a committed Marxist. I think you could safely accuse me of being a fence-sitter. As noted here, I’m pretty left-wing though.

Nonetheless, there’s a romanticism and poignancy to the post-Cold War socialist movement. In Sri Lanka, there’s a tinge of optimism intertwined with nostalgia and naivety that is endearing. And I’m not trying to be patronizing. It’s just that there seems little hope that the Old Left remains particularly relevant to 21st century Sri Lankan politics, at least in terms of access to power. The JVP has taken the mantle of Marxism firmly from the moderate Left, though it can safely be said that the JVP deals in a form of National Socialism that is as right-wing as it is left-wing. Indeed, the term ‘Old Left’ in itself is an indicator of how the vicissitudes of time have been unkind to a line of thinking that played a major role in ensuring the immediate post-colonial history of Sri Lanka was marked by its versatility. Indeed, the likes of N. M. Perera and Philip Gunawardena were consistent campaigners for independence from England in the pre-independence days, and a number of LSSPers spent time in prison. This was where Wesley Muttiah and his long-time friend and co-author Sydney Wanasinghe, who died a couple of months prior to him, were instrumental. Their works have documented key events in the pre- and post-colonial history of Sri Lanka including a meticulous exposition of the Bracegirdle Affair, the 1953 hartal in the book We Were Making History and the argument against the one language policy imposed by SWRD Bandaranaike.

The line-up of speakers one and all testified to this tireless endeavour. It was a refreshing sight to see the likes of the veteran LSSPer Tissa Vitharana, the Minister for Science and Technology, the Communist Party’s D.E.W Gunasekera, the Minister for Constitutional Affairs, the Democratic Left Front’s Vasudeva Nanayakkara and the General Secretary of the United Socialist Party (and the best of the rest at the last Presidential Elections) Sirithunga Jayasuriya on the same platform. Of the seven left parties, only the Nava Sama Samaja Party and the Socialist Equality Party were notable absentees, though the latter was meant to have been represented. Vitharana was the guest of honour and spoke briefly about Muttiah’s tireless quest in the pursuit of socialism.

Tissa Vitharana – it was pretty dark so none of the photos were particularly good

Professor Carlo Fonseka, a long-time contributor to political debate, and likewise Silan Kadirgamar, both spoke as well, offering insights on how religion and socialism could co-exist (Muttiah was a committed Christian), a topic which refreshingly took up several chapters in Muttiah’s edited collection on The Case for Socialism, which features contributions from a number of leftists including Tony Benn, and which was ear-marked as perhaps his finest contribution to socialist literature. Kadirgamar noted, however, that a true tribute to Muttiah and Wanasinghe would be for their extensive industry to be disseminated in all three languages. I agree. All too often, social science-related work is provided only in English and can therefore be accused of talking to the converted.

Their work on the Bracegirdle Affair was also highlighted as a complete account of an interesting moment in Sri Lankan history. In 1935, Bracegirdle, an Anglo-Australian labourer went to work on the plantations and was later dismissed for defending and fraternizing with the estate labour. He subsequently joined the LSSP, the first white man to do so, and spoke at a number of their functions. This led to a subsequent order for deportation leading to his going underground and subsequently quashing the order in the court of law as he was exercising his right to the freedom of speech. I’ve not read the book but can attest to its comprehensiveness, featuring excerpts of the debate in the state council.

Vasu Nanayakkara getting ready to rock and roll

I enjoyed the meeting. Vasu’s arm-waving display was the fieriest; unfortunately it was one of only two speeches in Sinhala so I only followed partially. There was the usual bluster of ‘democracy is on the wane, socialism must fill the void, lest barbarism rules’ but that’s to be expected, and by-and-by. The loss of Muttiah brings into sharp perspective the need to identify from where the next generation of leftist scholarship will come from as the majority of the crowd, with a few exceptions (including the person who had put everything together), ranged from fairly old to elderly. As an aside, they did serve EGB at the after-event refreshments, alongside Orange Crush and Necto as well as a spicy fish pattie. Nice!