Sandasen Marasinghe Courtesy The Daily News

Emergency Regulations which is a focal point of foreign communities were introduced to the Sri Lankan legal system by British Colonial rulers. The same was used to imprison heroes like Philip Gunawardena and Dr. N. M. Perera even without a court trail, former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva said.

He said though they talk of human rights violations today, the Colonial rulers violated those rights and imprisoned heroes and deprived them of their civic rights and seats in the Senate, sometimes even without a court trial or using henchman of the imperialists to achieve their ends.

He said the country needs heroes like Philip Gunawardena to face the pressure of the imperialist foreign pressure against Sri Lanka, supported by their henchmen. Silva made these observations delivering the keynote address at the 42nd Commemoration Ceremony of Philip Gunawardena at the BMICH on Tuesday.

It was organised by the Philip Gunawardena Memorial Foundation. Ven. Dr. Ittepane Dammalankara Thera presided.

Silva said Philip Gunawardena who was well known as Boralugoda Sinhaya (the lion of Boralugoda) was banned by the British rulers while he was in Britain from coming to Sri Lanka in the early 1930s as he engaged in politics against colonialism.

“He who was a founding member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party engaged in rebellious politics not only in Sri Lanka but in the USA, South America, England, European countries, India etc before he came to Sri Lanka after higher studies,” the former Chief Justice said.

He added that in 1936, Philip Gunawardena received a massive victory from Avissawella at the election contesting from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party but the imperialists introduced emergency regulations and arrested him and N. M. Perera immediately after an incident following a trade union action. “They were imprisoned even without a court trial. They were deprived of their civic rights.” He added that the rulers also removed them from their seats as they failed to attend the Senate due to their arrest by the same rulers.

Former Chief Justice Silva said Philip Gunawardena won the election in 1947 from Avissawella again but British rulers managed to imprison him soon after he won the election.

He was imprisoned based on a few words he allegedly told a conductor during a trade union action. His civic rights were deprived for seven years again. However he was appointed the Agriculture Minister in the 1956 government and worked hard to guarantee the rights of the farmers in the country, Silva added. Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Senior Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, Minister Geethanjana Gunawardena, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Ambassadors of Cuba, Pakistan, India and Deputy Ambassadors of China and Brazil also participated in the ceremony.