Red brand politicians who claimed to be revolutionary Marxists, Trotskytes, Bolsheviks, Leninists, Stalinists, Maoists, Che Guevarists and so on and who talked of a dictatorship of the proletariat appearing as anti-capitalists, not being able to capture political power on their own, through sheer frustration and yearn for political power, in the past, joined hands with political parties that were neither Marxists nor left of politics to enter Parliament and taste political power by entering into coalitions or united fronts.

History proves that once the reds entered Parliament and achieved political power as junior partners in coalition governments they underwent complete transformation in that they:

1). Left behind the revolution and embraced democracy and democratic institutions.

2). Gave up wearing red shirts (except on Workers’ - May Day converted to be politicians day or on special occasions) or sporting beards and changed to be clean shaven gentry clothed in the national dress locally and in lounge abroad.

3). Forgot the Marxist dogma ‘Religion is the opium of the masses’ and took to theoretical religious observances of every faith in public, in a big way and got religious dignitaries of all faiths to invoke blessings on them to stay in politics, until man decided otherwise

4). Changed from being free of religious bias, non-racial and anti-communal to be supporters of racialism and religious extremism, for purposes of political expediency.

5). Abandoned the theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat and after using the working class for political gain turned out to be opponents of workers in practical terms. Trade unionists who took to politics and politicians who took to trade unionism, let down the workers.

6). Gave up the desire, much against their conscience, to establish a one party system of Government, as a means to an end, which end never materialised as the people decided otherwise.

7). Came to dislike being addressed as ‘Sahodarayas’ (Comrades), except at election time, and insisted in being referred to as ‘Methithumas’ (Sirs) whilst their more powerful halves became ‘Methiniyas’, overnight.

8). Became allergic to public (poor man’s) transport and got addicted to fast moving luxury vehicles for purposes of getting about to serve the nation, invariably to be always ahead of the ordinary people.

9). Over came political disabilities and vertebral weaknesses by hanging on to a ‘Saree Pota’ to keep up in the political arena.

10. Gave up hatred towards the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and practised detente to quench the thirst for financial loans, to continue in the seats of power thereby proving the truth of the Sinhala proverb ‘Kiyanakota Ehemai, Karanakota Mehemai’.

11. Emerged as humane privatisationists and democratic capitalists - Karl Marx turning in his grave.

Whatever it may be, all in all, it is democracy that triumphed by transforming them to be Parliament loving democrats which was Sri Lanka’s gain.

And history goes on repeating itself!!