UNP flies high for May Day

By Charumini de Silva

A confident United National Party (UNP) yesterday urged the public to participate in a “meaningful” May Day rally which it said would amplify the fight for worker rights and avoid groups with political agendas.

“The UNP’s May Day rally this year is dedicated to the committed workforce of this country.  

Many who don’t know history claims that the UNP is a capitalist party and that it has no right to speak about labour rights. Our party as well as its members has made many sacrifices for this country. Thus, it is important to note that the UNP was one of the pioneering political parties in this country that established several critical labour laws,” Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando told journalists at the party headquarters Sirikotha yesterday.

This is the first May Day rally that the new Government will be holding under a UNP Prime Minister and a UNP led Cabinet of Ministers after being elected in August and is expecting over 100,000 participants to flock to the Campbell Park in Colombo, the Minister said.

“It is a committed workforce that we need to pull this country out of the debt trap it is in and bring Sri Lanka back to where it should be. That’s why our first May Day rally will be dedicated to the people with commitment. We are well aware the working community of this country is burdened as a result of the damage caused by the previous regime, but we are now in the process of clearing that mess. We want you all to give us some time to show the results,” he added.

Pointing out the UNP has a bigger right to speak of labour laws than the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Fernando added everything is possible only under democracy and that prevails only under the UNP at present. 

The Minister said his party wants to demonstrate a May Day rally that will preserve labour rights and economic freedoms of the country.   

Noting that there are 270,000 fishermen in the country, the Minister said that they are expecting massive support especially from them. 

“We are quite confident of getting the GSP+ as well by the end of this year, the same way we got the EU fishery ban lifted due to our superior diplomacy,” he said.

Despite boasting about a close relationship with China, Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa could not obtain grants from them during his tenure, Fernando said, but due to the diplomacy that the Unity Government is practicing, they were able to do so.

When asked if President Maithripala Sirisena is coming for the UNP May Day rally, Fernando said he has not indicated so far, but they do not know if he would appear as a “surprise guest.”

Fernando said the Joint Opposition’s May Day rally is not representing the workers, but rather a rally against the SLFP. 

“Now the ‘superman’ has come back to the scene from behind the scenes and is trying to fix things. I wonder how MP Wimal Weerawansa, who then claimed that this so called ‘Superman’ Basial Rajapaksa was the cause for the downfall of former President, will act” he added.