SriLanka, May 3 -- Sri Lanka's May Day this year carried both spectacle and subtext. The National People's Power (NPP) projected strength with 21 rallies across the island, from Talawakelle to a closing show in Maharagama led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

In Colombo, the usual chorus of parties, including the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), kept to tradition with rallies and gatherings, complete with the familiar mix of fervour and excess that often marks the day. Yet the quieter notes were just as telling. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), once synonymous with massive crowds, limited itself to floral tributes to T. B. Ilangaratne at Nawam Mawatha and several religious events, while the United National Party (UNP), also know...