‘MERUWA’, ‘KETUWA’, KEPUWA’ LAL’S STRIKE CRASH-LANDS

* Worker attendance exceeds 98 per cent

* People went about their business unconcerned

* Colombo National Hospital reports surplus staff

Dharma Sri Abeyratne and Nadira Gunatilleke

The ‘workers’ strike’ called by JVP top ranker Lal Kantha who recently said the JVP ‘Meruwa’ “Kepuwa’ ‘Ketuwa’ (‘murdered, cut, carved’) those who snitched against the JVP Deshapremi Movement of the 80s, petered out yesterday without any visible worker participation at all.

Meanwhile, the ‘Meruwa, kepuwa ketuwa’ broadcast of a speech by Lal Kantha had gone ‘viral’ in the media, i.e: the voice cut is being played over and over again.

A patient receiving treatment at Colombo National Hospital yesterday. Picture by Nishanta

It is a blatant admission -- threat even -- that the JVP killed, and will kill again, if it has to. That is certainly the tone in which the speech is delivered – ‘Owu, api Meruwa, Kepuwa, Ketuwa.’

“Yes, we killed, cut and carved (people.) We did it against those who snitched against a patriotic movement.’ The people voted with their feet yesterday it seemed, to destroy the strike call by Lal Kantha and his comrades, and the UNP which supported it.

Yesterday’s strike called by Opposition political parties and their trade unions ostensibly against the electricity tariff hike turned out to be a damp squib with more than 98 per cent of the workers reporting for duties at all government institutions and most private sector establishments.

The attempt by the UNP and the JVP to force workers to down their tools and get them on to the streets to sling mud at the government under the guise of protesting against the power tariff hike had badly misfired with no takers to the strike call.

All state sector institutions functioned smoothly and to optimum capacity with some such as the Colombo National Hospital even exceeding the normal daily attendance figures. Both state run and private bus service plied at full strength while postal service and state and private schools functioned as any normal day. There was no sign at all of a so called strike, Plantation Industries Deputy Minister Earl Gunasekara said.

Addressing the media yesterday Gunasekera said he challenged the JVP that the strike would not be successful. He further challenged the JVP if the strike was successful he would resign from his Deputy Minister post with immediate effect. But it has been reported that over 98 percent of the workforce in almost all sectors had reported for duty , he stressed.

He added that it was a joke that the JVP, which burnt down and destroyed 5,700 transformers and electricity networks throughout the country is talking about the electricity tariff. Not only transformers they also destroyed other valuable state assets paralysing sectors such as transport, telecommunications, plantations and many others inflicting severe damage to the country’s economy. “Owing to their narrow sighted political decisions, thousands of workers, employees lost their jobs. It is shameful and unethical to say that the JVP represents the interests of the workers, ” the deputy minister said.

Gunasekara said no one needs to go for strikes or trade union action for achieving anything since they can meet their demands easily through negotiations. President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a people friendly leader always stands by the workforce and is ready to offer the maximum to the workers while safeguarding their rights.

Meanwhile, Postal Services Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga said around 98 percent

of his ministry’s workforce representing all sections of the ministry, reported for duty yesterday. Attendance was far better than the average daily turn out. Sabaragamuwa Province Provincial Secretary H.P Kularathne said the activities of the Sabaragamuwa Province were carried out without any hindrance as almost all employees of the 30,000 workforce of the province reported for duty as usual. Of the 30,000 employees 21,000 are teachers while 4,000 are in the health service. The educational activities of the 1,120 schools were carried out as usual since teachers and students reported for duty despite the bad weather conditions. All other provincial ministries were functioning as any other working day.

National Transport Commission (NTC) Chairman Roshan Gunawardena in a press release said the bus owners and bus crew did not take part in the strike. NTC Provincial Authorities in Western, Eastern, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, North, North Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces have confirmed that the public transport service in those provinces were functioning as usual. Our correspondents from outstations reported that there were no strikes in the respective areas and people were seen going on with their daily business as usual. Our Hidogama Group Correspondent reported there was no impact on the strike. Trade centres, boutiques, and business places were running smoothly. Some openly said that they just threw to the dust bin the chit served to them asking them to close down their shops.” We told them the days that we complied with chit demands were over.

“ Quoting North Central Province Provincial Minister H. B. Semasinghe, the correspondent reported that the purview of the Provincial Health, Child Welfare, Women’s Affairs, Transport and Housing Ministries functioned without any hitch. The private buses were seen on roads transporting passengers as usual. Our Kandy Correspondent in his report said that although there was a big campaign to get the estate workers join the strike led by JVP affiliated Lanka Estate Union, it had turned to be a big flop.

The Estate workers were seen involved in their duties as usual and strike had no impact on them. Although the JVP had forced workers in certain areas of the estates to join the strike they had flatly refused to comply. Schools and Government offices were seen attending to their day to day work in Hatton, Norwood, Bagawantalawa and Kotagala areas, our reporter said.

Meanwhile, all health services in all state health institutions functioned better than on a normal day. The attendance of health staff in all state hospitals were better yesterday than on any other ordinary working day, a Health Ministry spokesman said. According to the spokesman Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Nihal Jayatilleke inquired about the attendance from all state hospitals scattered countrywide and found that usually in the Colombo National Hospital 1,578 workers attend work daily excluding the employees who go on leave. But yesterday 1,672 workers reported for work at the SLNH.

This is almost 100 more employees (attendance) than in an ordinary working day. National Hospital Director Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that the hospital functioned smoothly yesterday even better than on any other ordinary working day. No service was crippled due to the so called trade union action, he said. All state hospitals all over the country, especially main hospitals in Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Badulla, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Karapitiya, Matara, Kandy, Peradeniya, Batticaloa, Ampara, etc functioned better than on an any other ordinary working day. The attendance of OPD patients were also normal, he added.

Our Galle Correspondent, Mahinda P. Liyanage reported that the island wide token strike called by the Opposition and its Trade Unions was an utter failure which had no impact on public life in the province, Southern Province Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal De Silva told the media. He said so at a press briefing at his office yesterday.

The government and private institutions functioned well as usual with no interruption. Essential services such as Education, Health, and Transport, the sectors closely linked to public life operated quite satisfactorily and employee attendance at all such institutions were outstanding. “It is much pleasing to note that there were hardly any signs of a strike”. The CM said.

The day to day life of the people was not interrupted in ant way, he further said. Commenting on the collapse of the proposed token strike, the Chief Minister stated that people understood devious objectives of the two main organizing opposition parties; United National Party and Janatha Vimikthi Peramuna and their allied Non Governmental Organizations, both local and international to join protests against the raised electricity tariff.

The working classes of the country still remember the past actions of UNP against the working class struggles in the eighties. In 1980, the then UNP regime deprived over 120,000 employees of their jobs for participating in a righteous strike demanding, a mere Rs. 10/= increase per day in their salaries. Specifically the UNP has lost the faith of the working community as a party that took measures to curtail the public sector employment.

Likewise the JVP also bears a notorious record of betraying the country’s trade union movement by killing a large number of leading trade unionists and active members of trade unions for observing and practicing a political doctrine against that of the so called Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya fostered by the JVP during the 1988-89 period of terror and fear promoted by them.

As such patriotic people mainly the judicious members of the working class will never fall prey to the devious political tactics of the Opposition that is working against the motherland, the Chief Minister further said.