KAMALIKA PIERIS
REVISED 17.3.21
In 1956, SWRD formed his last ‘party’ the
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP). The MEP consisted of Sri Lanka Freedom Party
led by SWRD, Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party (VLSSP) led by Philip
Gunawardene, the Samastha Lanka Sinhala
Bhasha Peramuna led by W. Dahanayake and an ‘Independent Group.’ These were the
four constituent parties mentioned in the MEP
program given in Daily News, March 8.1956. ‘Bhasha Peramuna’ was an organization of Sinhalese teachers and
literati who wanted Sinhala as state language.
These four parties were joined by
the Uda
Rata Peramuna led by TB Ilangaratne and TB Tennakoon, and K.M.P. Rajaratna’s Janatha Vimukthi
Peramuna. Two Tamil lawyers of the SLFP,
A.C. Nadarajah, and S Thangarajah as well as ACS Hameed and Badiudeen Mahamud
also joined the MEP. Mettananda, Kularatne and many other leading
Buddhists supported the movement.
Eksath Bhikshu Peramuna was formed in 1956. It was led by Henpitagedara Gnanasiha, with
Talpavila Wimalawansa, Mapitigama Buddharakhita, Hewanpola Ratanasara, Kotagama
Vachissara, Bambarende Siri Sivali and Madihe Pannasiha. Eksath
Bhikshu Peramuna was a major contributor to the success
of the MEP at the 1956 General election.
Eksath Bhikshu Peramuna presented a
programme of action to the MEP shortly before the 1956 elections. They wanted,
inter alia, the implementation of the Buddhist Commission Report and Sinhala
made the official language of the country. Ven. Yakkaduwe Pragnarama, Walpola
Rahula, Ven. Baddegama Wimalawamsa, and Henpitigedera Gnanasiha of Ratnapura
were foremost in this matter.
MEP issued its manifesto on March
1956. The four parties had agreed to the programme. This manifesto was published
in Daily News of March 8.1956.
The manifesto said, firstly that the MEP
wanted the Constitution amended. The MEP objected to Dominion status. MEP wanted
Ceylon to be a democratic Republic. In
foreign policy, MEP wanted Non-alignment and the immediate removal of the two foreign bases in Sri Lanka.
MEP supported the Buddhist
Commission recommendations and wanted Buddhism given special recognition as the
religion of the majority, but said ‘‘we guarantee the fullest freedom of
worship to all. There shall be no discrimination on religious grounds.
Sinahla must be declared the sole
Official language of the country, said MEP, but this will not involve the
suppression of such minority languages as Tamil whose reasonable use will
receive due recognition.
If MEP came to power there will be
national planning .Key industries would be run by the state. Small industries
by the private sector .There would be special emphasis on sugar, textiles,
fisheries, salt and fertilizer industries. Foreign
owned plantations, transport, banking and insurance companies will be
progressively nationalized. Trade and
commerce would ‘go into Ceylonese hands’. Agriculture would be diversified to
include cotton and sugar cane. There was
a vast extent of land still uncultivated.
Housing would be the
responsibility of the central government. There would be village expansion
schemes for the landless and colonization schemes where ownership of land will
be vested in the farmer. MEP wanted to set up regional councils to help with local
government.
MEP promised full employment with satisfactory
wages and conditions of service, without discrimination on the grounds of language. Full trade union rights will be
given to all workers, also fundamental rights such as 8 hour working day,
guaranteed minimum wage and pension or provident fund schemes. Full trade union
rights to public servants too. MEP would introduce health and unemployment
insurance and old age pensions. Cost of living would be lowered by reducing the
price of necessities like rice and sugar.
We shall repeal the Public
Security Ordinance, Police amendment Act, Trade Union Amendment Act and all undemocratic public service
regulations and similar restrictions and invasions of public and personal
rights, particularly those affective the freedom of Association, assembly and
speech, said MEP. Lastly, MEP would complete without delay the new Town of Anuradhapura, see to the preservation of the
ancient city of Anuradhapura as well as other ancient cities and monuments.
Sudath Gunasekera recalled that the first
public meeting of the MEP held at Ananda College, SWRD with Philip Gunawardene,
Iriyagolla and others vowed to implement the recommendation of the Buddha Sasana
committee. As a schoolboy of 17, I attended the meeting and saw SWRD and his
team sat on the floor of the stage in front of the Maha Sangha said they would
implement the recommendation of the committee if they came to power. This as
the historic meeting at which the MEP for the first time received the
acceptance of the people.
The
General election of 1956 was announced. The
UNP had enough money, the backing of the bureaucracy and had won two
by-elections just before 1956. UNP confidently dissolved Parliament early. The UNP
foolishly brought forward the gen election date from 1957 to April 1956, which
was Buddha Jayanti year.
The fledgling MEP negotiated a no contest pact
with LSSP and CP and launched into election work. Marxist parties were so anxious to defeat the UNP that they
gave their support to the MEP. SWRD had no candidates
and no funds for the election, no affluent patrons or mudalalis, observed
Meegama. SWRD had gone to the Bank of
Ceylon to ask for a loan but the General Manager would not see him and he had
to go home empty handed. General
Manager was Chelliah Loganathan.
SWRD mortgaged his properties to
pay for election expenses of his candidate since most of them had no money to
spend on an election. B.H. Aluvihare deserted MEP just before the election
and SWRD nominated Nimal Karunatilleke who had no contacts in Matale, but he
won handsomely. In Anuradhapura Sirimevan Godage, an Office assistant contested PB
Bulankulame.
SWRD had some of the best Sinhala
orators and writers on his side, such as Somaweera Chandrasiri, a brilliant
Sinhala scholar and poet. He was a fine
orator, clever at coining words, and could compose Sinhala verse on the spot.
He was a fine addition to MEP, said Meegama.
But
the election swung decisively to MEP only when the bhikkhus came out in
support. UNP had managed to anger the
Buddhists, by its statements and actions. The Buddhists had asked that the election be
held after the Buddha Jayanti. But government
did not agree. The Lake House
newspaper group had ridiculed the Buddhist Commission report and the monks who
were campaigning for it. This had angered the Sangha and the Buddhist public
too. From the poorest house to the
richest Bhikkhu was treated with the greatest veneration.
Sangha sabhas actively came out in favour of
MEP and everywhere the saffron robe was
seen in vehicles flying the blue and red flag of the MEP. In many areas monks went house to house
campaign urging support for SWRD.
The night before the 1956 election,
Ratnapura town saw on the hill above the road to Potgul vihara, a row of
lanterns moving as in a perahera. It was Ven.Henpitigedera and his supporters
going from house to house in the distant villages on the hill asking people to
vote for the hand symbol of MEP.
SWRD was never considered a winner. He had no proper candidates and the MEP
coalition lacked financial resources. Meegama says SWRD has arrived to speak at meeting organized by his
supporters at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, the audience was very
small.
Only
the Lankadeepa” newspaper, edited by DB Dhanapala supported the MEP, said
Meegama. Lankadeepa ran MEP speeches and
gave news of MEP meetings.90% of its editorial staff were sympathetic to
the anti UNP movement. It had some young
Turks who were to become famous in the
future, such as Karunasena Jayalath and
Nimal Karunatilleke. Lankadeepa showed a staggering 61.7% increase
in circulation in the run up to the
election. No other newspaper could match this.
Lankadeepa played a key role in
the UNP years to keep the issues that were
stirring the people in the limelight. The paper gave publicity to the demand for switch over to Sinhala, rightful
place for Buddhism, simple living, liberation from servility to degrading
foreign customs, and liberation of
people from capitalism. Lankadeepa gave
sizzling editorials just before the election.
Now I know why, in my home, in the
1950s, when everybody else down the street was reading the Dinamina,
‘Lankadeepa’ arrived every day. It had a cartoon by Motagedera Wanigaratne on
the front page. That is all I can remember now.
But the MEP gained support as the
campaign went on. The MEP was supported by the Pancha maha Balavegaya,” sangha,
veda, guru, govi, kamkaru. It would be observed that there is no ‘lipikaru’
in the Balavegaya.
At the election meetings Philip was wanted
everywhere for his thunderous denunciation of UNP. In the last day of the campaign there were
scenes verging on hysteria. When SWRD came to
Kandy, he could hardly be heard, there was cheering and shouting. People
were rushing to touch him. Such were the emotions.
The general election of 1956 was spread
out for 3 days. A staggered poll was held to help the UNP. The first
day the elections were held in key UNP electorates and the rest on the next two
days. UNP only secured the 8 seats they won on the first day. UNP lost all seats on the 2nd and 3 days. in this
election for the first time symbols were allotted. Later the SLFP introduced the one day
poll.
I.D.S.Weerawardana
remarked that the electorate displayed a surprising maturity. The electorate
voted clearly for the party and not for individuals. Voter turnout was 69%
which was considered good for that period of time, said Weerawardene.
It is considered good even today, in most
countries. Bradman Weerakoon said that unlike in the previous elections
which had resulted in many electoral challenges, there had been few instances
of bribery, violence or impersonation in this election.
P.A. Samaraweera observed ‘people took
all the money lavishly given by rich UNP politicians, wore the green bush
shirts given by them, took the lunch packets, went to the polling booth and
voted for the MEP.’ It was said later that they would
have voted for even a polpiththa.
DRO of Kalagam Palatha in
Anuradhapura district had asked an elderly lady how she had voted. She said
Mudalali of our village is Christian. He gave each of us Rs. 10, bread and tea and led us to the school.
He said we should mark a cross in front of the elephant and put in the box. I
could not go against my religion so I voted for the Sri Hasthaya symbol.
MEP coalition at the start looked
impractical and unlikely. 60facing a solid UNP phalanx of 76 many of them
sitting members. Yet MEP had a
landslide victory. The momentum was unstoppable. Result left us speechless,
recalled Bradman Weerakoon.
The first result was Matale at 10 pm .Nimal had won with a
majority of 2500. Lankadeepa office was jubilant as he had written for it since
its inception. Dhanapala said ‘now that Nimal has won, victory is certain for
Bandaranaike.’ The MEP
won 51 out of the 60 seats it contested. 43 of them were won by the SLFP.
UNP got 8 seats.
MEP
got 1,046 277 votes and 39.5% of the votes cast. LSSP came second with 274,204 and
21 seats. Third was Federal Party with
142,758, 5.4 % and 10 seats. The ranking
of a separatist party in third position in this historic election is significant
and should be noted. On a mere 5.4% they got 10 seats.
The
results of the general election were a surprise even to the victors. It baffled even the architects of its
victory. The
ignominious defeat of UNP was also a surprise, said analysts. But there w as a sense of freedom and
liberation in the air among students, peasants, urban workers and the
intelligentsia. It was a time of great happiness, said Meegama. It was Ape aanduwa.”
I
still recall the excitement of listening to the election results, hearing the words Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
spoken over and over again, very
dramatically by an announcer, who could not keep his delight out of his voice.
The words ‘Mahajana Eksath Peramuna” has a lilt to it and that added to the
impact.
The
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna MPs, took their oaths in national costume at the
request of the Maha Sangha. On 20.4. 56 when Parliament had
finished its business, the public invaded the chamber. SWRD, as Prime Minister
said ‘let them in.’ This should be applauded. This was a once in a lifetime
experience for the island and SWRD realized this.
However,
a shocked observer reported ‘ the people came like a horde of wild horses ,not
only that day into the Chamber of the country’s supreme legislature but for
days and weeks and months after that to
the other citadels of the government .’
In
1962, one of the officers involved in
the attempted coup, gave as a reason for his animosity to SWRD, that when he
was trying to prevent people rushing to the Parliament chamber after the
“ape aanduwa” victory in 1956, SWRD’s order to him, was Let them
come in.”
The General Election of 1956 was a watershed
in the modern history of Sri Lanka, said I.D.S. Weerawardena.It changed the political landscape, said Meegama. 1956 was a major landmark in Sri Lanka, said
Wiswa Warnapala. The common man for the first time understood that he could
change the government of the country peacefully, through ballot. (Continued)