The Great Betrayal of '64

by Nalin Fernando

Mangala Samaraweera is reported to have told a press conference last Thursday that the JVP committed the "greatest betrayal" in history by helping the Government to pass the budget by voting for it. He was referring to a milestone in our parliamentary procedures and voting on the annual budget on December 14.

The episode was historical, no doubt, but I totally disagree with his analysis of the episode as the "greatest betrayal". He was far too young to be aware of a greater betrayal in December 1964 which brought down Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike's Government.

It is recorded in Ferguson's Directory in "Historical Events" for 1964 as follows: "The Coalition Government defeated by 74 votes to 73 on the No Confidence Amendment to the Address of Thanks.

C. P. de Silva, Leader of the House and Minister of Lands, Irrigation and Power and 13 other M.P.s crossed over to the Opposition.........Dec. 3"

"The Parliament dissolved by the Governor-General....... Dec 17"

Among those who went along with C. P. de Silva was Honourable Mahanama Samaraweera, Minister of Housing and Housing Construction, Mangala Samaraweera's father.

This cross-over was masterminded by then Lake House boss of bosses, the late Esmond Wickremasinghe. He and a few disgruntled but powerful SLFP supporters, including a close relation of C. P. de Silva, persuaded the government parliamentarians to surreptitiously betray their party and party leader in one of the slickest covert sting operations ever manipulated.

They were enticed with various stimulis and incentives, the operation being secretly supervised by a retired senior Lake House editorial executive who was a powerful spin-master for the UNP, together with a few chosen senior editors.

They saw to it that two trusted leg-men, both attached to CEL's personal staff, distributed certain satchels and large envelopes from a home and an office in De Fonseka Road and Alfred House Gardens respectively to various persons in and out of the city. (One of the leg-men is in Sri Lanka while one of the senior editors is in the U.S. All the others involved are no more).

The later UNP government which reaped the plunder of the defection also rewarded most of the long-jumpers with Cabinet posts and other Government jobs.

It must be stated in fairness to Mangala Samaraweera, his mother and his siblings that it is said that Samaraweera Snr. was not a recipient of any satchels or envelopes. He was appointed Chairman of the State Distilleries Corporation for his part in the Great Betrayal.

On his demise soon after, with nothing substantial left for his spouse and young children, the generous Wickremasinghe saw that Mrs. Samaraweera was employed at Lake House in the editorial administration department which was helpful in paying for her children's education.

Note: Our correspondent, Nalin Fernando, now a coconut planter in Wariyapola, was a Lake House journalist in 1964. His father was the late J.L. Fernando, former Chief Editorial Executive of Lake House and author of "Three Prime Ministers: An Inside Story".