The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) is nothing more than a nameboard, with no real presence, or membership, says JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva.
Taking part in the YouTube talk show ‘Lanka Voice,’ hosted by senior electronic and print journalist Kulasri Kariyawasam, on Sunday, Silva dismissed the FSP as a hollow entity, despite its registration as a political party with the Elections Commission.
“Other than a few individuals, who occasionally appear in the media, there is no party to speak of,” Silva claimed. “When the split happened 12 years ago, they left with a substantial number of members and even had one MP. But the recent elections showed how far they’ve fallen. Around 80 to 85 percent of their supporters have left, not only the FSP, but active politics altogether.”
Silva said a small number of former FSP supporters had returned to the JVP, while a few others had joined different political movements. “Apart from a handful, they have no grassroots presence. The organisation has essentially ceased to exist,” he said.
The JVP frontliner said the split’s long-term outcome was the political disengagement of many once-active cadres. “Talking about the FSP now is just a waste of airtime,” he added.