What is PNM ?

Deshahithaishi Jāthika Vyapāraya (Patriotic National Movement – PNM) was founded to fulfill an urgent national need i.e. to save our Nation, its sovereignty and the territorial integrity of our country. We felt we could not wait any longer silently witnessing the disintegration and dismemberment of the Nation and the country  which is taking place before our very eyes at every passing day.

The two main political parties were only interested in their power struggle. Though opposed to one another they were prepared to carry on the same agenda viz leading to the disintegration of the Nation and the country. The PA government during its rule introduced the so-called ‘Dvolution Package’, invited foreigners as facilitators and was prepared to lay the foundation for the division of the country in the name of devolution. This agenda was carried forward by the UNF government with the provision of an interim administration for the North and the East. The internationalization of our national problem came to its final stage with the destiny of our country being decided not by us but by western powers. Along with designs to divide the country, plans have been prepared to take over not only the entire economy but also parts of the lands, our forests and our rivers. Re-colonization of the country by these Western powers with the ultimate aim of having a foothold here is reaching its final phase.

We have already been reduced to a colony. Our rulers are mere puppets carrying out their agenda.

In the face of what was happening it was impossible for any patriot to look on passively and let things go on in this manner.

Apart from the two main parties, the few organizations that were formed sometime back to defend the National interests, we felt, were hamstrung by their political affiliations. For example those who were against the ‘Devolution Package’ of the PA government were prepared to endorse the ‘Interim Administration’ which was an improvement and extension  of the ‘package’. The objections and criticism  to these moves by independent intellectuals were confined to newspaper articles! There were no mechanisms or ways of reaching out to the masses and explain to them what was happening. The media was under complete control of the establishment. The NGOs funded by Western powers were all out to brainwash the public by presenting  a rosy picture of ‘peace’. The so-called peace process, albeit no peace of whatsoever in the North and the East was used to keep the people in the South in a state of somnolence or reduced to the level of proverbial man who is sucking the honey-comb in the midst of death threats from all sides. The ‘peace dividend’ was offered to the gullible in exchange for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. The price tag attached to the sale of one third of the land mass and two third of the sea coast of our land  was 4.5 billion dollars!

Accordingly the need of that critical juncture of the history of our land  was a movement that transcends the party politics and represents the interests of the Nation, the country and address the people over the heads of politicians. A Patriotic National Movement we felt; was the answer.

Hence the Patriotic National Movement (PNM) was formed with three primary objectives. 

1. To resist any attempts aimed at the division of the country in the name of devolution of power. To preserve sovereignty of the Nation and the territorial integrity of the country.
2. To resist the neo-colonial economic exploitation that is being carried out by Western powers. To save our economic resources, our land, rivers and forests from being usurped by foreign powers.
3. To resist the cultural invasion aimed at destroying our National identity and our cultural heritage. To preserve our civilization and culture.

It is obvious to any enlightened that these aims are a part and parcel of a fundamental program;  namely that of liberating our Nation from the clutches of the colonialists who are approaching on us at very passing day. What we need today is a National Freedom Struggle to save us. Nothing short of such a struggle will ever  save our country and our Nation.

We think it is extremely important for us to have a holistic approach  otherwise we are bound to err and dissipate our energies on Western powers. For example we cannot expect peace while endorsing the division of the country advocated by the foreigners. The aim  of the colonialists is to form a fragile State devoid of power and spirit to challenge their insidious and sinister moves to divide this land.   ‘Divide and rule’ is their time -tested modus operandi to achieve this purpose. It is futile to speak of retaining our cultural identity, our Sinhala Buddhist Civilization in the face of the economic policies prescribed by the Western powers. Unless we take a true Nationalistic view we would be like those proverbial blind men who wanted to know what the elephant looked like. Part of the colonialists’ agenda is to make us see things in parts and blur our holistic perception.

 It may sound ironical that we have to wage a National Freedom Struggle after fifty years of the so-called independence. But it is the bitter truth which we are facing  up to date. It only proves that we have been ruled by a generation that has been brought up by the white rulers to carry on their reign after their departure. This has been clearly foreseen and predicted by  the great patriot and Nationalist   Anagarike Dharmapala  who at the final stage of his life said, “the white man will leave you but the ones brought up by him will carry on his mission.”

We invite all patriots living here and abroad to join us and lend their support to this movement. The response we have received so far is beyond all our expectations and has confirmed beyond all doubts the need of this movement. The doors of this movement are open to all patriots irrespective of race, creed or even the political preferences.

With your tremendous support we shall certainly achieve our goal of ensuring  the perpetual existence and continuity of our land  which has survived for two thousand five hundred years.