The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Students for Social Equality (ISSE) will hold an ambitious series of public meetings as part of its campaign for the April 8 general elections in Sri Lanka. The SEP is fielding a total of 58 candidates on slates in four districts—the capital of Colombo, Galle in the south, Nuwara Eliya in the central plantation area and Jaffna in the war-torn north.

The SEP is warning that the next government will intensify the onslaught on living standards and democratic rights. All the major parties—government and opposition—defend the profit system and agree that the burden of the worsening economic crisis has to be imposed on working people. The agenda has been set out by the International Monetary Fund, which is demanding the budget deficit be more than halved through drastic cuts to public spending and increased taxes.

The SEP is campaigning to educate and mobilise workers independently of all the bourgeois parties on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program. SEP candidates are calling on working people to form their own action committees to defend their rights as part of a broader struggle for a workers’ and farmers’ government to refashion society to meet the needs of the majority, not the profits of a wealthy few.

The SEP is holding public meetings to present its political program and to open up the broadest possible discussion on these vital issues. We urge workers, housewives, youth and intellectuals to attend.

Meeting schedule:

Jaffna: Cooperative Hall, Sunday March 21, 2.00 p.m.

Colombo: Narayana Guru Hall (near Armour Street), Wednesday March 24, 4.30 p.m.

Nuwara Eliya: Tulip Villa Hotel (near Gamini College), Thursday March 25, 3.00 p.m.

Hatton: Shakthi Hall, Monday March 29, 2.00 p.m.

Galle: Town Hall, Monday March 29, 4.00 p.m.

Ambalangoda: Town Hall, Saturday April 3, 4.00 p.m.

Colombo: Public Library Auditorium, Sunday April 4, 3.00 p.m.