A group of civil society activists held a gathering at the Galle Face Green in Colombo yesterday (9) to mark the one year anniversary of the commencement of the “aragalaya” (people's struggle) protest movement which demanded the resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his Government, and a change in the style of governance in Sri Lanka last year.
The event was attended by religious leaders including Buddhist monks and Catholic priests and several civil and social activists including Dr. Ajantha Perera and Attorney Nuwan Bopage. During the gathering, the organisers lit lamps and performed religious rites in memory of the people who died due to various reasons while participating in the people's struggle.
In contrast to Police response to previous gatherings related to the “aragalaya” movement, yesterday’s event did not draw a significant Police presence.
While speaking to the media, Dr. Perera said that if any kind of progressive situation has been created in the country compared to the year 2022, it is because of the people's struggle.
Therefore, everyone should work with dedication and regardless of differences to take it forward, she said. "We see that now the Government is working to turn the people's struggle into terrorism through various laws (a reference to the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill), but we say that we are not afraid of them. Regardless of the threats and obstacles, we will continue to carry out this struggle to bring about the change we want in this country," she added.
The aragalaya movement, first organised on social media platforms, grew to thousands of citizens, mainly youths gathered at the Galle Face Green on 9 April 2022 to demand the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the then SLPP-led Government. More than 20,000 people participated in the protest on that day. Since then, large numbers of people had been protesting day and night in front of the Presidential Secretariat, the demarcated Demonstration Site, and in front of the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo.
The protest movement drew support from many fields and saw a number of key figures emerge to give a voice to the Movement.
Among them were singer Dr. Nanda Malani, music director Dr. Rohana Weerasinghe, lyricist and film director Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne, and senior actress Swarna Mallawarachchi. In addition, a number of parties including interfaith leaders, Government, semi-Government, and private sector trade union representatives, the business community, university students, journalists, and artists had expressed their support for the protest. Branches of the people's struggle had been set up in other parts of the country such as Kandy, Galle, Matara, and Negombo. The protest movement reached its climax when millions of people gathered in Colombo and occupied several state-owned buildings including the Presidential Secretariat, the President's House and Temple Trees (the Premier's official residence) on 9 July 2022, which in turn resulted in Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.