Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka)

The Socialist Equality Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1968 as the Revolutionary Communist League by former student members of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary) who joined the International Committee of the Fourth International. They remained loyal to Gerry Healy until the majority of the International split from his organisation. Since the death of its founder leader Keerthi Balasooriya in December 1987, Wije Dias assumed the leadership. In 1996, it changed its name to the Socialist Equality Party, in line with other members of the surviving ICFI.[1] In the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential election, the party's candidate, Wije Dias, came 11th of 13 candidates, with 3,500 votes (0.04%).

Socialist Equality Party

Samajavadi Samanatha Pakshaya
Sinhala nameසමාජවාදී සමානතා පක්ෂය
Tamil nameசோசலிச சமத்துவக் கட்சி
SecretaryWije Dias
FounderKeerthi Balasooriya
Founded1968 as Revolutionary Communist League, 1996 as Socialist Equality Party
Split fromLanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary)
Preceded byRevolutionary Communist League
Headquarters795 1/1, Matiambalama Junction, Kotte Road, Kotte
NewspaperLoka Samajavadi Web Adavi Vimarshana (printed version of its central organ, WSWS), Tholilalar Pathai, Kamkaru Mawatha
Student wingInternational Students for Social Equality
IdeologyCommunism
Trotskyism
International affiliationInternational Committee of the Fourth International
Election symbol
Pair of Scissors
Website
socialequality.lk www.wsws.org

It publishes analyses on political, economic and other issues, and runs election campaigns via the World Socialist Web Site.

On War in Sri Lanka

It has consistently opposed the war in Sri Lanka and according to its own words it opposes "racism, capitalism, imperialism and terrorism". It maintains that the civil war can only be end by uniting working people regardless of their ethnic origin and demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of armed forces from the North and East. Its political program calls for a Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Eelam as part of the Union of Socialist Republics of South Asia.[2]

On Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

It has consistently opposed the LTTE’s demand for a separate state, insisting that the democratic rights of the Tamil masses can only be defended through a united struggle of the Sinhala and Tamil workers for genuine social equality. It maintains that the LTTE's demand for separate state of Tamil Eelam in North and East of Sri Lanka will only give the LTTE leadership the opportunity to further the interests of a thin layer of the Tamil middle class whose ambition is to act as local agents for investors of major economies in a capitalist statelet and which will not improve the living conditions of masses.[3]

References
  1. "Sri Lankan SEP General Secretary Wije Dias interviewed on national election channel", World Socialist Web Site, 30 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  2. A socialist perspective to end the war in Sri Lanka: Troops out of north and eastern Sri Lanka!
  3. A socialist program to end the war and social inequality: Election statement of the Sri Lankan Socialist Equality Party September 2000
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