The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
Sri Lanka political parties use May Day to put forward poll aspirations
With a presidential election expected later this year, the May Day rallies of all main political parties in Sri Lanka seemed a prelude to their poll campaigns. Leaders of various political camps made a direct pitch to the people in their respective public events, seeking their support in what would be the rst election since the island nation’s debilitating economic crisis in 2022.
A year into the International Monetary Fund’s programme, that brought with it tough austerity measures, many Sri Lankans are reeling under the impact of steep tax hikes, and higher fuel and energy prices, amid high living costs.
Increase in daily wage
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who participated at the May Day event of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress
in Kotagala in the Central Province, where many Malaiyaha Tamils, including estate workers reside and work, announced an increase in the daily wage of plantation sector workers, to LKR 1700 (roughly ₹ 477). Underscoring his government’s “diligent e¤orts” to stabilise the country’s economy, he further pledged to convert workers’ colonial-era line room accommodation to “villages”.
Speaking later at a Colombo
rally organised by his United National Party (UNP), Mr. Wickremesinghe said his government took “dicult decisions” for economic recovery while challenging the main Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB or United People’s Force) and the centre-left Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP or People’s Liberation Front) on what their response had been.
Addressing the SJB’s May Day rally in Colombo,