Nava Sama Samaja Party

Last updated
New Equal Society Party
නව සම සමාජ පක්ෂය
நவ சமசமாஜக் கட்சி
Secretary Vikramabahu Karunaratne
Founder Vikramabahu Karunaratne
Founded1977
Split from Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Headquarters17 Barracks Lane, Colombo 02
Ideology Communism
Trotskyism
Political position Far-left
National affiliation Left Liberation Front
International affiliation Fourth International (Formerly)
Colors  Red   Yellow
Election symbol
Table
Election Symbol Of Nawa Sama Samaja Party .png
Website
www.nssp.info/%20nssp.info

The Nava Sama Samaja Pakshaya (English: New Equal Society Party) is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. It was formed through the expulsion from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) of the Vama Samsamja tendency led by Dr Vickrambahu (Bahu), Sumanasiri Liyanage and some others. Siritunga Jayasuriya (Siri) and Vasudeva Nanayakkara (Vasu) joined later. In 1976 when the LSSP was thrown out of the coalition large numbers joined the tendency and in December 1977 it declared itself as Nava Sama Samaja Party.

Initially the NSSP was affiliated with the Committee for a Workers' International but, in the opinion of the CWI, never fully agreed with the analysis that it had made of Stalinism, of developments in the former colonial and semi-colonial world and the national question. [1] It departed with CWI in 1988, in a process described by some as expulsion, but by the CWI as a split. The remaining CWI members formed the United Socialist Party. Since 1991 the NSSP, led by Vikramabahu Karunaratne, has been the Sri Lankan section of the Fourth International alongside other Samasamaj parties. United Socialist Party also embraces the ideology of Trotsky. [2]

In October 2020 Executive Bureau of the Fourth International released a statement condemning the NSSP for allying with the United National Party (UNP) in 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election. Vikramabahu Karunaratne contested the elections under UNP and refused to answer repeated questions by the Fourth International and the NSSP members supported Vikramabahu's decision. Thus the Bureau of the Fourth International decided to suspend all links with the NSSP. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Party of Sri Lanka</span> Political party in Sri Lanka

The Communist Party of Sri Lanka is a communist party in Sri Lanka. In the 2004 legislative election, the party was part of the United People's Freedom Alliance that won 45.6% of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma</span> Political party in India

Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI) was a revolutionary Trotskyist party which campaigned for independence and socialism in South Asia. The party was formed in 1942 as a unification of two Indian groups, with the Lanka Sama Samaja Party of Ceylon. It was recognised as the Indian section of the Fourth International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanka Sama Samaja Party</span> Political party in Sri Lanka

The Lanka Sama Samaja Party, often abbreviated as LSSP, is a major Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. It was the first political party in Sri Lanka, having been founded in 1935 by Leslie Goonewardene, N.M. Perera, Colvin R. de Silva, Philip Gunawardena and Robert Gunawardena. It currently is a member of the main ruling coalition in the government of Sri Lanka and is headed by Tissa Vitharana. The party was founded with Leninist ideals, and is classified as a party with socialist aims.

Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary) was a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka, formed in 1964 when the Lanka Sama Samaja Party was expelled from the Fourth International. LSSP(R) was constituted by the ideological hardliners who opposed LSSP joining the national government and wanted to preserve the bonds to the Fourth International. The United Secretariat recognised it as the Sri Lanka section of the Fourth International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivienne Goonewardene</span> Sri Lankan anti-colonial activist and politician

Violet Vivienne Goonewardene, commonly known as "Vivi", was a Sri Lankan anti-colonial activist and prominent politician, serving as one of the world's first female ministers. A key figure in both the Indian independence movement and the Sri Lankan independence movement, Goonewardene was a prominent member on the non-aligned stage, where she fought against perceived injustices and was critical of the Middle East diplomacy sponsored by the United States. Goonewardene was the first and, to date, only female National Hero of Sri Lanka. By her death, she was one of the Left's most vibrant personalities, and the foremost female figure in the Sri Lankan leftist movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Socialist Party (Sri Lanka)</span> Political party in Sri Lanka

The United Socialist Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. The party is led by perennial presidential candidate Siritunga Jayasuriya. It is affiliated with the Committee for a Workers' International.

During the Donoughmore period of political experimentation (1931–48), several Sri Lanka leftist parties were formed in British colonial Ceylon. Unlike most other Sri Lankan parties, these leftist parties were noncommunal in membership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Samarakkody</span> Ceylonese lawyer, trade unionist, politician and Member of Parliament

Edmund Peter Samarakkody was a Ceylonese lawyer, trade unionist, politician and Member of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Gunawardena</span> Sri Lankan politician

Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and leftist. A founder of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the first political party in Ceylon which was known for having introduced Trotskyism, he later formed the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and was called 'the Father of Socialism' and as 'the Lion of Boralugoda'. A member of the State Council of Ceylon and the Parliament of Ceylon, he served as the Minister of Agriculture and food under S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike from 1956 to 1959 and as Minister of Industries and Fisheries in the national government under Dudley Senanayake from 1965 to 1970.

Don Edwin Weerasinghe Gunasekera is a Sri Lankan politician, former Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister. He is the current leader of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL), a member of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vikramabahu Karunaratne</span> Sri Lankan politician (1943–2024)

Vikramabahu Karunaratne was a Sri Lankan scientist and politician. He was a candidate in the 2010 Sri Lankan presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasudeva Nanayakkara</span> Sri Lankan politician

Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a Sri Lankan left-wing politician, Member of Parliament and presidential candidate in the 1982 and 1999 Sri Lankan presidential elections.

The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) is a public faction of the Fourth International founded in 1953. Today, two Trotskyist internationals claim to be the continuations of the ICFI; one with sections named Socialist Equality Party which publishes the World Socialist Web Site, and another linked to the Workers Revolutionary Party in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fourth International (post-reunification)</span> Trotskyist international founded in 1963

The Fourth International (FI), founded in 1938, is a Trotskyist international.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Goonewardene</span> Sri Lankan politician

Leslie Simon Goonewardene was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded Sri Lanka's first political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, in 1935, and served as its General-Secretary from 1935 to 1977. Goonewardene was a key figure in both the Indian independence movement and the Sri Lankan independence movement. He was designated as a National Hero of Sri Lanka for his leadership in the independence movement, and his efforts are celebrated each year on the Sri Lankan Independence Day.

Vaithianathan Karalasingham was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, writer, politician and one of the leading members of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.

Weerahennedige Theodore Wilfred Meryl Fernando was a Ceylonese teacher, trade unionist, politician and Member of Parliament.

Michael Banda, born Michael Alexander Van Der Poorten, was a Sri Lankan communist activist best known as the General Secretary of the British Workers Revolutionary Party.

Communism in Sri Lanka dates back to 1935, when the Lanka Sama Samaja Party was founded by Trotskyists who campaigned for freedom and independence of Sri Lanka which was then a colony of the British Empire and known as Ceylon.

References

  1. "History of the CWI". Archived from the original on 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2005-12-16.
  2. "Trotskyism in Ceylon".
  3. "Statement regarding the Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) - Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières". www.europe-solidaire.org. Retrieved 2020-11-30.