The United Socialist Party ( si, එක්සත් සමාජවාදි පකෂය, ''Eksath Samajavadi Pakshaya'', ta, ஐக்கிய சோசலிச கட்சி, ''Aikkiy soōcialica Kaṭci'') is a

Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...

political party in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It is affiliated to the

Committee for a Workers' International The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI) was an international association of Trotskyist political parties. Today, two groups claim to be the continuation of the CWI. History Founding The origins of the CWI can be traced to a group of ...

History

The USP traces its history back to the main opposition left group in the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the Vama Samasamaja. This group were introduced to what was to become the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI) in the 1970s. The Vama Samasamaja became the

Nava Sama Samaja Party The Nava Sama Samaja Pakshaya (''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), Suma ...

when it separated from the LSSP in December 1977 following a number of expulsions from the LSSP starting in 1972. The NSSP was a section of the CWI from its foundation until it left in 1989. Disagreements on areas of theory and policy (such as the analysis of

Stalinism Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...

) with the CWI eventually led to a split. One disagreement was over the leaders of the NSSP deciding to support the 1987

Indo-Sri Lanka Accord The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on 29 July 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene. The accord was expected to resolve the Sri Lankan Civil War by enabling t ...

, which led to the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force, in a document issued on 12 February 1988. After 1989 the NSSP became a section of the

United Secretariat of the Fourth International The Fourth International (FI), founded in 1938, is a Trotskyist international. In 1963, following a ten-year schism, the majorities of the two public factions of the Fourth International, the International Secretariat and the International Com ...

, while those still supporting the CWI became the USP.

Criticism against India

Sri Lankan Civil War

The USP criticised the Indian government for providing military support to the Sri Lankan government whose armed forces were conducting a campaign against opposition in the north of the country. The party opposed the Rajapaksa government's militarist solution to the country's civil war, holding the position that military victory in the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

-dominated areas will not solve the

national question ''National question'' is a term used for a variety of issues related to nationalism. It is seen especially often in socialist thought and doctrine. In socialism * ''Social Democracy and the National Question'' by Vladimir Medem in 1904 * ''So ...

, with ill feeling and further violence likely as a result. USP General Secretary,

Siritunga Jayasuriya Siritunga Jayasuriya was a contestant in the Sri Lanka presidential election in 2005. He received 35,405 votes, 0.36% of the votes cast and came third. He is a trade unionist and leader of the United Socialist Party. He was formerly a member of t ...

, is also quoted as saying that the government's military operation was a "war not against LTTE cadre, but against the Tamil people."

Elections

In the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential election, its candidate,

, came third with 35,425 votes(0.36%). In the 2006 council elections, the USP won 710 votes (2.37%) in Eheliyagoda Pradeseheeya Sabha (Ratnapura District), winning a seat in the council.

References

External links

United Socialist PartyCommittee for a Workers' International
{{CWI2019 1977 establishments in Sri Lanka Communist parties in Sri Lanka Political parties established in 1977

Trotskyist organisations in Sri Lanka Indian Peace Keeping Force