The Frontline Socialist Party’s 37th Il Maha Heroes’ Commemoration began today (13 November 2026) at 3:30 p.m. at the Yakkala Town Hall, with the theme “Socialism: The Dream of a Generation That Fought to the Death.”
Speaking at the event, Lahiru Weerasekara, the Organising Secretary of the YOUTH FOR CHANGE organisation, said:
“Today, we commemorate the 37th Il Maha Heroes’ Commemoration. We remember comrades who, though still young, made the hardest decision of their lives. They saw capitalism had failed and chose to fight for socialism. They set aside personal ambitions and stepped forward to pursue their political goals. Those who became full-time members of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in those days were driven by that conviction. Even as nails were driven into their heads and their fingernails torn out, they did not betray their political goals. That is why, even 37 years later, we pay tribute to them.”
“Some people today say that socialism is outdated. Yet to prove socialism outdated, they massacred tens of thousands of freedom fighters and operated torture chambers on a massive scale. But socialism takes root in this land like wild mushrooms that spring up in the rainy season after lightning strikes. We ask those who claim socialism has failed: what has the capitalism you defend given the world?”
“Gaza is now a mass grave. The entire Middle East, including Iran, is exhausted by the threat of war. What is the situation in Europe, once held in such high regard? Young people are frustrated by a lack of jobs. People do not earn enough to live on, and the tax burden has grown. As a result, people across Europe are taking to the streets to demand their right to live. Large-scale environmental pollution has made the planet so hot that it is becoming uninhabitable. Is this the system these neoliberal theorists want us to defend?”
“While the world is in this state, what is the JVP government doing in Sri Lanka? Today, the JVP is commemorating the Il Heroes at Viharamahadevi Park. After Anura Kumara’s 2027 Budget speech, we saw people like Dudley Sirisena attending a tea reception in Parliament. Who invited Dudley to that event? The benefits of this budget went to big business; ordinary people received nothing. That is why people like Dudley can walk around with their arms around one another, enjoying tea. We ask the leaders of the National People’s Power: aren’t you ashamed?”
“The JVP, which once represented the 1988–89 generation, has now become a lapdog of the billionaires and is trying to clean up this system and keep it going. We cannot simply remain silent and watch. We need no further evidence that neoliberal capitalism has failed. We do not need a world where children die of malnutrition or where bombs are dropped on the heads of little children.”
“Some people now think there will be no more people’s uprising. That is why the government is doing whatever it pleases. But the day when this pressure explodes is fast approaching. This is no longer a society that silently watches injustice and its problems. When Kawanthissa, who had grown up freely in the forest, was killed, society was shaken. When a young man was killed inside the Homagama Police Station, society was shaken. That unrest is paving the way for the next uprising in this country. We are committed to making that uprising a socialist struggle that establishes the power of the people, rather than turning it into just another uprising.”
