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From International Socialist Review, Vol.25 No.4, Fall 1964, p.114.
Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.
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(The following statement by Edmund Samarakkody, a member of the Ceylonese parliament and one of the leaders of the Revolutionary section of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, was issued June 7.) |
The decision of the reformist majority of the LSSP to enter into a coalition with the capitalist SLFP (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) government and thereby to become an instrument of the capitalist class in Ceylon, constitutes a complete violation of the basic principles of Trotskyism on which the revolutionary program of the party is based.
This degeneration is the logical outcome of the parliamentary reformist line which the majority of the leadership of the party has followed for several years and the substitution of parliamentary and reformist struggle in place of class struggle and revolutionary perspectives, and the systematic recruitment of non-revolutionary elements into the party on that basis.
The revolutionaries of the LSSP have, in this situation, decided to organize themselves on the basis of the party program. They therefore withdrew from the conference and will hereafter function as a separate organization under the name of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary Section).
In order to carry forward the revolutionary struggle for power, the LSSP (Revolutionary Section) calls upon all the adherents and supporters of the LSSP in the country to rally round the revolutionary banner which it refuses to surrender to the SLFP Government and the capitalist class.
(Signed) Edmund Samarakkody, Secretary, Provisional Committee of the LSSP (Revolutionary Section)
Note: The Provisional Committee of the LSSP (Revolutionary Section) addressed a communication to the United Secretariat of the Fourth International requesting recognition of the LSSP (RS) as the “Ceylon Unit” of the Fourth International.
A letter from the United Secretariat under date of July 10, 1964 – which crossed the Provisional Committee communication in the mail – addressed to the Emergency Conference of the LSSP (RS), scheduled for July 18-19, stated that the US had voted:
“To recognize this Emergency Conference as officially constituting the continuing body of the Trotskyist movement in Ceylon and to empower it to speak for and conduct any matters pertaining to the section of the Fourth International in Ceylon.”
The Emergency Conference voted to accept the “recognition granted, and will hereafter function as the Ceylon Unit of the Fourth International.” The vote on this motion by the delegates was 54 “for,” 9 “against,” and 8 “neutral.”
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