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| Sunday, 24 October 2004 |
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Marxist storms 'Little Rome' by W. T. A. Leslie Fernando
The death anniversary of Dr. Hector H. Fernando, the veteran in the leftist movement in Sri Lanka and a former MP for Negombo falls on October 21. The well-known physician, he devoted his entire career for the cause of the downtrodden and the underdog. Lintotage Hector Heronimus Fernando was born on September 30, 1903 at Katana, an area well-known in the island for its riches. He was educated at St. Joseph's College, Colombo and later went to UK for higher studies. He returned to Sri Lanka in 1931 as a qualified physician with a degree of medicine from the University of Edinburgh. He set up a dispensary in Negombo, which in due course blossomed into first private nursing home and maternity clinic in the area. However Dr. Hector Fernando was soon drawn towards unfortunate and underpriviledged. He became conerned about the exploitet fisherfolk in Negombo and often clashed with fish maganates in the area. In 1935, the first Marxist party in Sri Lanka, the Lanka Samasamaja Party was formed. In 1936, Santiago Fernando, a teacher from Kudapaduwa, Negombo became a member of the LSSP. The first Catholic in Sri Lanka to join the LSSP, he convinced many a Catholic to become members of this Marxist party. The LSSPers in Negombo who now wanted to form a branch of the party there, now looked for a man of standing to be their leader. They approached Dr. Hector Fernando, who by this time had earned a reputation as a fighter for the exploited fisherfolk. He agreed to join them. LSSP formed In 1937, a branch of the LSSP was formed in Negombo with Dr. Hector Fernando as the President, J. P. Payoe, a lawyer as vice-president, Santiago Fernando as the secretary, D. B. Waidyasekera, an ayurvedic physician as the asst-secretary and Mihindukulasuriya John Fernando, a reputed tailor as the treasurer. In Negombo, a Catholic stronghold, the Marxists were looked down upon, degraded and treated as agents of Satan. In fact in 1938, when the leaders of the LSSP Dr. N. M. Perera, Philip Gunawardena, Dr. Colvin R. de Silva went to the island of Duwa in Negombo to discuss problems of the fisherfolk, they were stoned and chased away by the fisherfolk themselves at the instigation of fish magnates. During the World War II (1939-45), when the LSSP was proscribed by the British government, some of its leaders were imprisoned. Others went underground. The party cadres in Negombo threw all their efforts to maintain continuity of the underground party organisation. Santiago Fernando It was in Negombo that many of the secret LSSP conferences were held. They considered it a safe place, because Negombo was so hostile to the Leftists, they knew that the authorities would never suspect party activities there. They were organised by Santiago Fernando and Dr. Hector Fernando. Santiago Fernando functioned as the secretary of these secret conferences. In 1944, when the Free Education Bill was introduced, the Catholic Church vehemently opposed the move. However the LSSP in Negombo virgourously campaigned for free education. In the 1947 Parliamentary elections, Santiago Fernando contested Negombo as the candidate of the LSSP. In this election many poor Catholics rallied round the LSSP and he lost the seat to a stalwart of the UNP by a narrow margin of only 956 votes. It was evident that the LSSP had gained a strong foothold in Catholic Negombo. In 1949, when China became a communist country, the Catholic Church passed many strictures against Marxists. It forbade Catholics joining or supporting Marxist parties. Marxists were denied Church recognition, sacraments and burials. As a result many Catholics veered away from the LSSP. Refused to change In 1952 elections Dr. Hector Fernando was the LSSP candidate for the Negombo seat. There he lost heavily to the UNP candidate by over 13,000 votes. But Dr. Hector Fernando did not lose heart and give up the ghost. An English bard who lived in the medieval ages had said "My head is bloody but unbowed" describing the strength of will and character of a man who refused to change his convictions despite the beatings and torture he had to undergo. Dr. Hector Fernando was a man of such calibre. He carried on his political activities with even more enthusiasm and vigour. At the 1956 elections, the swing was against the UNP and its strong fortress Negombo too fell. In this election Dr. Hector Fernando, a Marxist was elected as the MP for 'Little Rome'. He polled over 20,000 votes and defeated his UNP rival by 2800 votes. In Parliament Dr. Hector Fernando backed P. H. William de Silva, the Minister of Industries and Fisheries in the MEP government (1956-59) to introduce the mechanisation of the fishing industry. He also did a lot for the improvement of the fishing community. He was the shadow minister of health in the opposition and made valuable propositions and suggestions for the advancement of the health sector. Schools take over In 1960, the Catholic Church resented Schools Take Over. In Catholic areas there were strong protests against the move and some Catholics forcibly occupied schools. Dr. Hector Fernando along with Meegomuwa Jinawansa Thera and Santiago Fernando mobilised those in favour of Schools Take Over and organised rallies in support of the move in Catholic areas. Ultimately the Church had to yield. The Delimitation Commission in 1959 divided Negombo seat into two and Katana was carved out of it. At the Parliamentary elections in both March and July 1960 Dr. Hector Fernando contested Katana and in July he lost it by just 44 votes. At the 1965 elections where the swing was for the UNP, he lost Katana by about 2500 votes. At the 1970 elections to the surprise of many, the LSSP exchanged Katana for Balapitiya and the SLFP contested Katana. As a result Dr. Hector Fernando could not contest Katana and missed a sure chance of being elected to Parliament. Dr. Hector Fernando's political activities extended from Wattala upto Puttalam along the sea coast. He also organised a strong trade union movement in the plantation sector in the surrounding districts. Whenever a worker in the area was unjustly dismissed, victimised or harassed, Dr. Hector Fernando was there to take up the case when called upon. Dr. Hector Fernando was also a nationalist and patriot. He used to wear an immaculate white national costume which was a rare sight among the doctors in our country. And he never used religion for political expediency. Being a Marxist he did not believe in Christianity. He did not attend the Church even on Sundays just to hoodwink Catholics and get some votes at elections. His death Dr. Hector Fernando, who placed his entire career for the cause of the underpriviledged passed away on October 21, 1976. At the time of his death, he was the Chairman of the Negombo South Fisheries Co-operative which was the largest co-operative project at the time in South-East Asia. At his death, it was the Catholic Church with which Dr. Hector Fernando often clashed during his lifetime that paid the greatest honour for him. When his remains were interred in the non-Catholic section of the general cemetery in Negombo, according to his wish some Catholic clergy in the region offered a special Mass for his soul and thereby consecrated the place. |
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