By Siri Gamage –

Dr. Siri Gamage

When we reflect on the JVP’s journey from its formative years in the late 1960s to its current role as a leading force in government — alongside its NPP partners — one striking shift becomes clear. In its early decades, the party openly championed class conflict. It emphasised the struggle between workers and peasants on one side, and the ruling classes on the other. Class collaboration was denounced, even despised, within its ranks.

Today, however, the picture is very different. The NPP and JVP appear comfortable engaging with a wide cross-section of society — politicians, bureaucrats, professionals, and members of the diaspora — in pursuit of national transformation. This evolution raises several questions. What prompted this change? Is this shift necessary to reform the system? Has the movement recognised that structural change requires broad social support? Or has it realised that meaningful transformation first requires working within the existing system and its institutions to avoid political and social upheaval?

Although the working class and trade unions remain core pillars of the JVP/NPP movement, this article focuses on the role of the middle class and its importance to the journey so far.

The Middle Class and Their Significance

Since independence, free education — especially free higher education — produced hundreds of thousands of graduates. Some secured modest jobs, some remained unemployed, and many migrated abroad where they found professional opportunities and citizenship. Despite their qualifications, many of these graduates felt excluded from the elite, closed political and governance structures that dominated the country for decades.

They belonged to a large segment of society — both local and diaspora — who were professionally capable, socially aware, but politically alienated. University education itself often reinforced the idea that established bourgeois politics was corrupt and unworthy of participation.

The NPP was able to tap into this pool of frustrated yet skilled, educated, and aspirational middle-class professionals. They became an intellectual and organisational backbone for the movement.

The middle class, by nature, is aspirational: they seek upward mobility, professional recognition, and quality education for their children. Their aspirations differ from those of peasants and rural communities who begin from a more challenging socioeconomic base. Understanding these differences has been crucial to the NPP’s success.

Working with the System: A Strategic Pivot

After coming to power, NPP leaders understood the need to stabilise the state before embarking on major reforms. This required working with the existing public service, police, security forces, diplomatic corps, and business community. This pragmatic approach inevitably involved a high degree of class collaboration.

The key question is whether this collaboration implies abandoning the original goals of social justice and equality.

From the speeches delivered by JVP leaders during the April Heroes commemorations, it appears that the party has not abandoned its commitment to these long-term social and economic objectives. Rather, it seeks to use the instruments of state power to advance them pragmatically and sustainably.

Conclusion

In practice, class collaboration may be a necessary vehicle in the long journey toward social justice and egalitarianism. Theories of class conflict may guide ideology, but once a movement gains significant power, governing responsibly requires engagement with all sectors of society.

The JVP/NPP story suggests that transformation does not occur through antagonism alone but also through strategic partnerships, inclusive governance, and the mobilisation of broad social forces — including the middle class — toward a shared national vision.