You have been very critical of how Sinhalese chauvinism has impacted in the politics and the society in Sri Lanka, and you've just touched on it a little bit there, but I'm wondering if you can just speak a bit more concretely about the history the political history of sinhalese chauvinism and then comment on the current juncture in and how the jvp fares today and the npp and the question that it must tackle today around the tamil question whether that's through federalism or devolution or whatever you think needs to be done in regards to that

I'm critical of Sinhala chauvinism not because I'm against the Sinhala community, as some groups tend to say.

I myself come from that community background.

I oppose chauvinism because it has done enormous damage to the country's working people, to Sinhalese as well as... to Tamils, Muslims and Malaya Tamils.

Why do I oppose? First, because it is a tool of class rule.

Ethnic hostility does not come out of nowhere.

For decades, single parties tried to outbid each other in communal rhetoric instead of building coalitions across communities.

economic gains for the people working class and the oppressed of Sri Lanka? I guess I want to hear your assessment, because clearly their record is quite mixed when we look at the different takes from left-wing organisations.